It's Hero Time!
by pyro-technic242
Summary: Despite the uselessness of his Quirk in combat, a young Kyosuke Kirihara is determined to become a hero, no matter the hardships he may face. One day, he finds his ticket to doing so in the form of a thin, green-and-black watch.
1. Chapter 1

**Synopsis:** _Kyosuke Kirihara! Quirk: Super Saiyan! While it may seem like a really powerful Quirk from the name, it is only called that because it makes Kyosuke's hair look exactly like a Super Saiyan's, except white instead of blond! His Quirk also makes his hair entirely free of dandruff, as well as naturally thick and surprisingly soft! An extremely convenient Quirk for looking good!_

Despite the uselessness of his Quirk in combat, a young Kyosuke is determined to become a hero, no matter the hardships he may face.

One day, he finds his ticket to doing so in the form of a thin, green-and-black watch.

**Chapter One**

"…forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty!"

A fourteen-year-old boy puffed in triumph as he finished his workout for the day, before promptly flopping down on the soft grass of the park he was at and sighing loudly. Passers-by glanced at him in amusement, briefly, before hurrying on their way to wherever they needed to be.

The boy remained on the ground for a while, taking the time to relax his muscles and even his breathing. He had done well today, having completed his workout in a timely manner, while not having stopped or taken more breaks than his schedule allowed. After about a minute, he stood up and, grabbing his water bottle and a towel, started making his way back home.

His name was Kyosuke Kirihara, and, like many boys his age, it was his dream to be a hero. Unlike most boys his age, however, he worked every day to make that dream a reality. And unlike many more boys his age, he planned to do it without having a useful Quirk.

Okay, maybe it was a little unfair to call it 'not useful'. After all, his Quirk let him save money that would have otherwise been used on shampoo, conditioner, haircuts and perhaps even hair gel, and to an orphan like Kyosuke, any money saved was a blessing. His Quirk _was_ useful… just not for his dream to become a hero. That was why he studied hard every day, worked at a part-time job twice every week for an hour, and trained every free minute he had. Considering this was a Saturday, and his final exams had just ended, he was literally drowning in free minutes. So, he'd headed out after his afternoon shift had ended, and spent two hours on calisthenics, running, and practicing martial arts against invisible opponents.

Now, however? He planned to go up to his government-funded, one-bedroom apartment, bathe, eat some Endeavor's Fiery Eggs (which was really just a recipe for insanely spicy scrambled eggs on toast) and head to bed.

Kyosuke was smiling at the thought of the Fiery Eggs (they were his favourite meal) as he scaled the stairs taking him to his apartment, when he noticed-

His apartment door was unlocked.

'_What the hell?'_ he thought to himself, mentally reviewing whether he'd locked his door before heading out. He _had_ locked his door, and he'd brought his key card with him, in his pocket. So why was it unlocked?

Steeling himself, he pushed it wider open. His apartment was dark, and he relaxed slowly. Maybe he had forgotten to close the door fully- how silly of him. He flicked the lights on and instantly jumped into the air with a surprised squawk.

A man dressed in a lab coat was sitting in his living room, if you could even call it that. It was just a small space containing his desk, a small table on which he ate, and a chair (on which a man he _didn't_ _know_ was sitting!). Two doors on the left and front led to a bathroom and bedroom, respectively.

"Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my house!" Kyosuke shouted angrily, regaining his composure with alacrity and assuming a fighting stance.

The man seemed amused. He looked to be in his late forties, with black hair and grey sideburns. His lab coat was rumpled, and he wore black trousers and brown loafers. His hazel eyes twinkled enigmatically, giving him the air of a man who knew too much and has seen too much.

"Calm yourself, young man- I do not intend to harm you," he spoke in a cultured voice, holding his hands up peaceably. This did not reassure Kyosuke in the slightest. "Explain why you're here, first!"

"I shall, in a moment. Gumball?" the man (or professor? He looked a little like a professor) held out a paper bag he had apparently conjured up out of nowhere. The boy stared at it uncomprehendingly, before snarling. "Look, I don't know why you're here, and I honestly don't care, but if you don't get out of my house right now, I will call the police. What's your name?"

"It is prudent to offer your name before asking for someone else's," the man popped a blue gumball into his mouth, unfazed by the rudeness and hostility he was being shown.

"Don't you know it, already?" Kyosuke said, now more cautious than angry. "_You_ were the one to come here and confront _me_."

"True, true," chuckled the man, leaving the boy with a feeling like he'd just passed a test. "Ah, there is so much I wish to tell you, so much I need to explain, but now is not the right moment…" he sighed sadly, before getting up. At his full height, he was a head taller than Kyosuke. "My name is Gyakusetsu-sensei. Unfortunately, that is all I can tell you, right now…"

With surprising agility, he made for Kyosuke's arm. The boy tried to duck, to counter, but all of a sudden, bright green light filled the room, almost blinding him. "Ahhh!" he screamed, as a warm, blooming pain filled his body. His arm was being clutched tightly, something that felt liquid and rubbery stretching itself over his wrist. "Ahhhh!"

"You will soon understand," promised the man, Gyakusetsu-sensei, who was now…fading? All feeling left his body, and he slumped forward. "You will understand when the time comes, Kirihara-kun…"

"Use the Omnitrix wisely."

That was the last thing Kyosuke heard before his world went black.

* * *

Kyosuke jolted awake, gasping.

There was no one in the room.

He was on his futon, sunshine was streaming through his window, and there was no sign of Gyakusetsu-sensei. Where was he now? More importantly, _who_ was he?

He rolled over, checking the time on his cheap alarm clock. 6:12 am, not too far from his usual wake-up time. Besides, it was a Sunday; he didn't need to worry about school for the time being, which left him with only the events of last night to worry about.

"Okay," Kyosuke said aloud, rolling over as he got out of his futon. "I had a tiring evening, a man I don't know showed up, he grabbed my arm, and I woke up."

Wait a minute… he held up his left arm briefly, and was left sputtering in astonishment. A watch, a green and black watch with black triangles connected at their points (in place of a display of the time), and what looked like a grey dial, was resting on his wrist. Kyosuke stared at it in shock before attempting to pry it off.

'_It won't budge!'_ he thought in irritation. God dammit, couldn't Gyakusetsu-sensei have at least explained why he had stuck a watch (a pretty cool-looking watch, but a watch nonetheless) that didn't even tell the time on his wrist? It couldn't even come off, which was a great pity. He stood out enough with his hair.

Whilst fiddling with it, he inadvertently pressed the weird grey dial-like things either side of the watch, causing the watch-face to rise up and display a green hologram of what looked like… a humanoid alien with a flaming head? Kyosuke jerked backward in surprise. What did this even mean? What could this watch do?

"Let's see..." he mumbled, "what would _this_ do?"

He pressed the watch face back down.

Instantly his body started to contort, not painfully, but to a very great degree. He yelled in shock as he grew almost ten inches taller, his ribcage expanding and shoulder girdle widening. His muscles convoluted, his skin turning a deep, marshy green, and a slightly smelly gas started wafting off his body. When the transformation was over, he stared around the room in shock, before running to the bathroom to have a look at himself.

"Good God," he murmured, his voice nasally and much deeper. He looked like an exact replica of the hologram of the alien the watch had showcased, earlier. Was this what the watch (the _Omnitrix_, Gyakusetsu-sensei had called it) could do? Turn him into aliens, like this creature?

That…didn't sound so bad. A smile grew on his (the alien's) face. That didn't sound bad at all. That actually sounded pretty cool. If these aliens, like the one he had become, had special powers, like how humans had Quirks, what could he do? The sky was the limit! He had the power to become a hero, and not just any hero; a hero that could emerge as the best!

'_Okay, slow down, now,_' he chided himself. _'Let's see what this guy can do, first of all…'_

He examined himself, from head to toe, and noticed something interesting- holes on his palms, that seemed to penetrate through his arms and until his torso. An idea emerged in his head; a crazy, almost stupid idea. Maybe, if he focused-?

It felt insane. It _was_ insane. This whole situation was the most insane thing he had gone through, ever. However, he held his hands out, and focused.

Immediately, a stream of fire burst from his palms. He had guessed correctly- the gas was methane, and he had the power to produce and ignite it at will! Kyosuke shut off the stream of fire, laughing. He was literally a living swamp!

"Oh, I know!" he smiled. "I'll call this guy…Swampfire!"

Buoyed with new confidence, he snatched up his key card and sped out the door. It was too early for the neighbourhood to notice a big green swamp-thing escape Kyosuke Kirihara's apartment, anyhow, and he had the perfect destination in mind to test out his new powers.

'_I can't believe this,'_ he thought, as he ran. _'I'm an _alien_!'_

* * *

Reaching Dagobah Municipal Beach on foot would have ordinarily taken Kyosuke twenty minutes if he was walking, and about ten if he was running. It took Swampfire about five, and by the time he'd arrived, he wasn't even winded.

"Amazing," he smiled. He felt powerful, a hundred times more powerful than as his normal human self. Was this how his classmates felt, all the time, when they used their Quirks? Was this how _he_ felt, when he used his Quirk to decimate whatever stood in his path?

Swampfire halted in front of a large trash heap. This trash heap, one among several of its brothers and sisters, was the reason Dagobah Municipal Beach was generally avoided and left empty. He didn't know who had been responsible for the trash, but it exuded such a strong smell of ammonia, and generally looked so unpleasant, that it spoiled the entire ambience of the otherwise quite beautiful beach. This also made it the perfect location for kids playing hooky from school, teenagers wanting to kill some time in solitude, or certain aliens who wanted to test out their powers.

'_And the smell doesn't even bother me. I smell _worse_ than the trash!' _he thought to himself.

Swampfire took a deep breath, before holding out his palms and concentrating. A much larger stream of flame erupted, this time, going until about six meters before stopping. He stopped, before forming a fireball in his hand and launching it. About the size of a baseball, it went quite a distance before hitting the sand and snuffing itself out with a small explosion.

He tried again, this time attempting to push out as much fire as he could. This resulted in a large wave of orange flames that bathed his surroundings in heat.

"Wow…" he sighed out loud. However, he wasn't satisfied just yet. He sensed, somehow, that he could do more than mere pyrotechnics.

Kyosuke held out his hand one more time, and concentrated. He was rewarded by the production of various seeds that scattered all over the ground. They responded to his will, growing into thick, thorny vines that contorted and twisted exactly like he imagined them to. He imagined them wrapping around a nearby refrigerator, and the vines obeyed. They lunged at and coiled around the massive structure with exceptional speed, lifting it with little strain and placing it on a nearby ledge, where a garbage truck could, he knew, pick it up.

Swampfire shook his head in amazement. This device…it was truly incredible.

Speaking of which, was there a way he could turn back into his human form? A sudden worry gripped him. Was this transformation permanent? He highly doubted it, but it was possible. Foolishly, he'd assumed that this would only be temporary, at the beginning, without considering every possibility. What if he remained as Swampfire forever? He had quite liked the feeling of turning into, and being, the alien, but he would be in quite a large amount of trouble if the transformation was permanent.

"Wait a second," Swampfire growled aloud, having for the first time noticed the watch symbol on his chest. He tapped it, and instantly, in a burst of green light, he was Kyosuke again, barefoot and still in his workout clothes from the last day.

"Whoa, that was intense," he said, exhausted from his brief sojourn as Swampfire, but thrilled. _'If I can master this watch- the Omnitrix, what other possibilities are in store for me?'_ he thought. Almost instinctively, he brought up the watch face again, selected another hologram, and slapped down on it.

And just like this, he had taken, without realizing it, his first step to becoming the Number One Hero.

* * *

A week had passed since Kyosuke had acquired the watch from Gyakusetsu-sensei.

(Who was that guy? Why had he given him the Omnitrix? Such questions still plagued Kyosuke's mind. He had tried Googling 'Gyakusetsu-sensei', and the best he could get was that the name, when translated to English, was literally 'Professor Paradox'.)

It was so weird. This whole situation was _so_ weird. However, he had no doubts about one thing- the Omnitrix could help him become a hero.

After a week of doing nothing except testing the Omnitrix's limits and figuring out its powers, he had realized some useful things about it.

It would keep him transformed into an alien for about twenty-five minutes, give or take, after which it would flash red and turn him back into his human form. It would continue glowing red for about fifteen minutes- during which he would be unable to use its powers- and then, it would turn green again. He could also switch from alien to alien by tapping the Omnitrix symbol, without turning back into Kyosuke, but doing it too many times could drain the battery.

It had ten aliens, each with its own unique powerset, and Kyosuke had made names for each of them. Some aliens were much more of situational swords than anything else, while some others could be used at any given time, to resolve any given situation.

Of course, he had not slacked off on his personal training- he couldn't rely on the Omnitrix all the time. After all, what kind of a hero relied on his Quirk all the time? He had tested his limits by turning into different aliens and trying out his martial moves as them, with some aliens being more receptive to his moves than others. He would have to adapt his fighting style to match the physiology of each alien, to bring out their maximum potential.

Such thoughts plagued Kyosuke's mind as he sat down for evening homeroom in Class 3-A, Orudera Junior High School. The appearance of his (frankly uninteresting, and uninterested) teacher did nothing to quell the whispering around the classroom; only a sharp rap on the blackboard did that.

"Here are your midterm exam papers," the teacher- Nagaiude-sensei- mumbled. "Come and receive them when your name is called. Akihisa-kun!"

The aforementioned student got up from his seat, wincing as his eyes passed over his marks. Nagaiude-sensei continued, calling out name after name. Hardly any student looked satisfied with their results- only one, a blond-haired boy, grinned sharply as his test papers were revealed. Katsuki Bakugou had been, after all, the topper during their second year, except for Kyosuke himself.

"Kirihara-kun!"

The white-haired boy smoothed out his uniform and got up from his seat, receiving his test results without a murmur. He smiled once, briefly, as he saw the large one-hundred written in red ink over his topmost paper (Math), and the rest of the numbers all starting with nine and ending with no less than two.

As he returned to his seat, he heard many students whispering, but elected to ignore it. He knew that his life was considered something of a tragic story; it was well known that he wanted to be a hero, but literally no one believed he could be one. He had a useless Quirk, after all- and that was all his worth was judged by. The tragedy lied in the fact that he worked hard every day and received top marks in every test, all in his pursuit of becoming a hero, yet he could apparently never become one no matter how hard he tried.

"One-hundred percent in Math again, that Kirihara…"

"Why does he work so hard? There is no hope for him, at all!"

"Good for him! He has something other than his hair that's good." Snickers erupted from this snide remark, made by one of Bakugou's lackeys, the one with long nails. Kyosuke ignored them all. They didn't need or deserve his attention.

"Now," mumbled his teacher, bringing out a bunch of pamphlets as everyone took their seats, "I'm supposed to tell you about all the different streams you can pursue in senior high…but who cares!" With a sudden exuberance, he threw the pamphlets into the air. "You all want to go into heroics, anyway!"

A multitude of cheers greeted this sentiment, students showcasing their Quirks left and right. Long necks, fire breath, bubble production, and rock hair, among others. In the midst of this, Kyosuke simply raised his hand, and waited for quiet.

Except there wasn't any quiet.

"Oi, oi, don't group me in with these losers," laughed Bakugou as he stood up from his seat in front of Kyosuke (who simply rolled his eyes as everyone else recoiled in fear and awe). "I'm gonna be the Number One Hero, that'll surpass All Might and every other nobody! You extras are nothing but stepping stones for me!"

Several students cringed and backed away. Others started arguing with the boy. Kyosuke just ignored all of them.

"I've already taken the U.A mock test, and I _aced_ it!" Bakugou continued to shout gleefully. Nagaiude-sensei nodded diffidently to confirm his statement, which shocked and impressed the students. "I'll be the _only_ noteworthy hero to emerge from this shitty school!"

"Oh, didn't Kirihara-kun apply to U.A, as well?" Nagaiude-sensei's follow-up statement silenced the room immediately. Kyosuke groaned loudly as the students turned towards him, breaking out into expostulations almost instantly afterward.

"Kirihara did? To _U.A_?"

"He must be out of his mind!"

"Dude," snickered the same lackey who had made the crack about Kyosuke's Quirk, "do you think they'll accept him 'coz he looks good? I mean, look at that hair!" This received laughs throughout the room, and prompted Kyosuke to finally look at the guy, narrowing his eyes.

"No," he said quietly, hushing the students. "They'll accept me, because I know how to fight, I get good grades, and because I'm ready to do whatever it takes to become a hero. How were _your_ grades, again?" _Oohs _filtered through the room as the lackey- he had never bothered to remember his name- went pink.

Bakugou stalked over to his desk, slamming a flaming palm on it. Kyosuke did not react, only looking up at him with half-closed eyes. "So, you're fucking applying to U.A, like you said you would?"

Kyosuke nodded. "I am."

Bakugou grinned. "That's good. You'd better make it in so I can murder your ass, you fucking bastard." The other boy couldn't help but grin as well- Bakugou's tenacity was infectious. The rest of the students watched in astonishment. Had Bakugou actually _encouraged_ someone? And _hadn't_ called him an extra? And _Kirihara_, of all people?

The blond sat back down, prompting the teacher to say, "That will be all. I'll see you tomorrow."

Kyosuke sighed in relief, picking up his bag and putting his books into it, one by one, as everyone else filed out, talking among themselves and ignoring the white-haired boy. All, that is, except three people.

"Think you're such hot shit, do you?" The angry snarl came from the lackey, who had approached him and slammed a hand on his desk. Kyosuke looked up, unimpressed at the show of power. Besides the long-nailed boy, there was the fat one with red wings, who was sneering at him, and Bakugou himself, who was looking at him emotionlessly. Kyosuke looked back at the seething boy and frowned slightly. "What's your problem?"

The boy suddenly smiled. "My _problem_ is Quirkless fucks like you thinking they're the next big thing, when in reality they're just nerds and teacher's pets. You wanna be a hero, you jerk?"

Kyosuke raised his eyebrow. "I'm not Quirkless."

"Oh right, I forgot," laughed the lackey, and spat on the mass of white hair on Kyosuke's scalp. "Having a _bad hair_ _day_?"

In an instant, the boy had risen from his seat, grabbed the long-nailed bastard, punched him twice on the jaw hard enough to bruise, before kneeing him and pinning him against the wall. "Apologize!" Kyosuke shouted furiously. "Apologize, and maybe I won't take this to the principal!"

"Fucking- I'm sorry, I'm sorry, let me the fuck go!" the lackey shouted. Red Wings behind him was gibbering fearfully, and Bakugou had tensed, but was doing nothing. Kyosuke squeezed tightly enough to nearly pop the boy's arm from its socket before letting him go in disgust. "You ought to be taught a lesson. Still feel that I can't become a hero, you ass?"

The lackey did not respond.

Kyosuke shuddered in disgust as the rather large glob of spit started dripping down his neck. Rushing to the bathroom (ignoring Red Wings and nodding briefly at Bakugou), he managed to wash it off with the aid of four tissues, lukewarm water and ten minutes. He took one more minute to calm down, before heading out the bathroom and out of school. He took a moment to consider that no one had seen or commented on the Omnitrix, and mulled over it to take his mind off of the incident. Well, better for him; he could put off thinking up awkward explanations until later. Kyosuke yawned widely, feeling his jaw almost crack from the strain. It had been a long day, and he was ready to just go home.

As he made his way underneath a bridge, he noticed a slight movement out of the corner of his eye. Suspicious, he looked around, seeing nothing except a drain through which greenish-brown mud was leaking. He looked around some more. Something…wasn't right.

A sudden, swift movement behind him made him gasp. The slime had shot out of the drain in a tidal wave of stink and mud, two jaundiced eyeballs maliciously gazing at him. Kyosuke instinctively moved backward, activating his watch, but the slime was much faster.

"Stop struggling," it whispered, gargled, as it wrapped itself around him. He gasped and sputtered, the stink enveloping him completely. "Well, well, well…here I was looking for a good body to take for a brief ride, and here you come. Quite the looker, aren't you?"

"Get…off me!" gasped Kyosuke. He couldn't breathe properly, couldn't see anything, couldn't think about anything except _getting_ _away,_ _getting_ _away_…

"Jeez, kid!" the villain laughed as he tried to tear himself free. "I'm only borrowing your body for a minute or so, there's no need to get all worked up!"

Only one thing to do. Turning the dial and slapping down the Omnitrix's watch face, green light started to erupt from his body. The slime villain roared in shock as the boy's body began to change, peach skin moulding into pink and purple crystal, going thinner and taller.

"_**Chromastone!"**_ the boy (alien?) yelled, his confidence restored by the change. "Time to send you to hell, villain!" he growled as his hands glowed with rainbow-coloured energy.

"What _are_ you?!" the slime gargled in shock, clearly not having expected this at all. It screamed as the crystalline humanoid peppered it with bolts of light, sizzling its liquiform body. Chromastone didn't keep up the barrage for much longer, though- he threw up a large beam of brightness and changed back to human form, snatching up his bag and running.

"You won't get away!" yowled the slime villain, chasing after him.

"**No,**" came a new voice, one that Kyosuke _recognized_. Instantly, his heart lightened, and relief spread through his body-

_He was here._

"**It is **_**you**_** who won't get away, villain! HA HA****HA****HAA!**"

A hulking man, with blond hair like golden waves and a smile that could light up the Sun charged into the underpass with terrifying speed. It was all Kyosuke could do to not get blown away as All Might, the current Number One Hero and venerated as the Symbol of Peace, pulled back his fist and punched outward.

"**Close your eyes, young man!** **Texas**_**…Smash!**_"

The next thing Kyosuke heard (he had done as All Might had asked, and shut his eyes) was the screech of the slime villain as it was blasted into hundreds of drops of stinking sludge by All Might's simple, yet devastating special move. Several moments of quiet passed before he dared to open his eyes once more.

The underpass was completely free of sludge- apparently, All Might's attack had been enough to defeat the villain, surmised Kyosuke. Speaking of which…Kyosuke turned around to see the Number One Hero screwing the lid of a plastic bottle (in which floated a single bloodshot eyeball in green slime) on firmly. It was all the boy could do not to start fanboying, right then and there.

"…uh, All Might-san," called Kyosuke quietly. He didn't ask whether All Might was okay, or whether the slime villain had hurt him. "Is…is it safe now?"

"Why, yes!" chuckled the hero, turning towards Kyosuke and grinning. "I must say, young man, I was quite impressed with the way you handled my Texas Smash. Not many people are still awake after experiencing it, even from the side, you know? **Very** **nice!**" All Might flashed a thumbs-up at him.

Kyosuke reddened at the praise. At least, he didn't seem to be making any mention of Chromastone, which saved him the trouble of explaining exactly how he could turn into a sentient being made of precious (or so he thought) crystals, that could also shoot rainbow lasers. "Um, All Might-san, could I get your-?"

"Already done!" He picked up Kyosuke's English notebook from his (open) bag and flipped to the last page, where a signature, complete with little stars and stripes, was done in thick black pen. _'This guy is totally Number One! He thinks of every detail!'_ Kyosuke thought to himself gushingly.

"Now I really must be going, young man!" All Might prepared to leap into the air, and Kyosuke didn't stop him. He only called out, "I'm a big fan, All Might!" as the hero sped away with two bottles full of slime villain, as a gesture of support, before moving on his way. He had been planning to hit the dojo after dropping off his things- he really needed a distraction after all of today's events, after all- but he was quite tired.

All he would do now was sleep.

* * *

** Hey guys, what's crackin'**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did, feel free to review or favorite or follow! Thank you everyone who's done so already! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The sea was calm, the sand soft underneath his feet. Kyosuke took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, relaxing his muscles gently. Since he had got the Omnitrix, he had made Dagobah Municipal Beach his training ground, where no one would see him, and discover his powers. He had also grown several inches taller and lost the last of his baby fat, and bulked up noticeably, though his stature was still quite lean.

Ten months had passed since the Slime Villain incident. These ten months had been the longest months of his life, and had consequently not been easy for Kyosuke, for a single, simple reason.

The U.A entrance exam.

The thought of the exam looming nearer and nearer with each passing day had spurred him to master not just the watch, but his own martial skill and physical attributes. He had put in much more work at the dojo, practicing technique after technique under his sensei's watchful eye. He'd somehow kept up his studies as well, often burning the midnight oil as he struggled with the immense load of homework and tests that seemed to be perennial while at Orudera Junior High. More than once, he had inadvertently drowsed in class, only for someone to wake him up. Usually, it was a student, but sometimes, much to his displeasure, it was the teacher.

He'd also noticed Bakugou come into class with bleary eyes and smoking palms several times. He was clearly training every day, pushing himself past his limits and not letting it break him. It was because of this, and the fact that Bakugou's grades still more or less equalled his, that Kyosuke couldn't help but admire him, and wish to surpass him.

(For he knew that the blond boy had to bear a weight he himself did not- and that was the weight of everyone else's expectations. The principal himself had lauded Bakugou publicly, during a school assembly, and while his classmates had cheered loudly for the boy (who would surely give Orudera-and subsequently, them- some publicity for entering U.A), Kyosuke had pitied Bakugou, for all the expectations being forced on him.)

_'Well, it isn't as if Bakugou will fail to meet them,'_ thought Kyosuke idly, _'he's a monster when it comes to anything to do with combat, tactics, and battle technique.'_

For all of this, however, Kyosuke still didn't plan on losing to Bakugou. He had the power of ten heroes flowing through him, and he had more or less figured out everything they could do. Some of their powers had shocked him when he'd realized their existence, a good example being Swampfire's regeneration. He could still remember the astonishment he had felt upon feeling an iron bar go through his torso, and exit sans any injury, permanent or otherwise. Of course, it had hurt at first, but there hadn't been any lasting pain- something he _still_ didn't understand. Swampfire could get lasting damage from blunt attacks, after all.

Anyway, all of that was behind him, now. Kyosuke opened his eyes slowly, feeling his body fill itself with the light of purpose and drive, as the sun bled into the horizon and red light spilled across the sea.

It had always been going to be a bit of a gamble, taking an entrance exam to a school as prestigious and difficult to get into as U.A. Not only was Kyosuke with a useless Quirk, he was also, as aforementioned, an orphan. His parents had died when he was twelve, leaving him to the care of his guardian (who was almost never present and unable to provide for his education anyway) and the government, which had put him in a small apartment and declared to fund his education until high school, considering his guardian wasn't able to do it. He'd rebuilt his life, bit by bit, all the while silently nurturing a single dream- to become a hero.

It was a gamble. A huge gamble. If he failed the exam, he would never be able to become a hero- simply because he couldn't apply to any hero school by transfer. It simply wasn't allowed- hero schools spent enough money on normal entrance exams. To go through all of that trouble again, for a single student? Unheard of.

He would be forced to apply to normal high schools, and let his dream lie forgotten in the deserts of time.

If he succeeded, however…the world was at his fingertips.

He had come this far, and he refused to turn back now. The U.A entrance exam was the next day, and he was determined to give it everything he possessed.

_'It's time to finally become a Hero.'_

* * *

It was eight thirty in the morning. The weather was slightly warm, as expected of an April day in Japan. Kyosuke was outside the entrance of U.A (which was so much more imposing than in the pictures!), and dressed in his middle school uniform (a black _gakuran_ and trousers), carrying a bag full of written material he had brought for some quick revision, as well as his tracksuit (a white shirt and navy pants under a navy half-sleeved jacket), a bento, and lastly, his key card.

He took a deep breath, slowly clearing the tension in his body._ 'Relax,'_ he thought to himself, _'relax. You've trained hard, you've studied hard. It's going to be okay.'_

"Oi, shithead!" an angry voice came behind him, a voice he knew quite well indeed.

"Bakugou," he greeted cautiously, as the boy stalked over to him. Ignoring the greeting, the blond simply poked a finger at his chest. "Are you fucking prepared?"

Kyosuke blinked. What kind of question was that?

"I asked you something, asshole."

"Right!" he realized. "Yes, as much as I'll ever be, I guess."

"Good," grunted Bakugou, backing away and from Kyosuke, almost instantly. "I expect you to fucking pass, got it? Useless Quirk or no, you're passing this exam, and then I'm gonna pound your skull into the pavement first chance I fucking get."

Kyosuke rolled his eyes exasperatedly as Bakugou stalked off. While the brief encounter had been full of vulgarity and insults directed at him without recompense, it had been oddly refreshing to have Bakugou speak to him like a rival, like an _equal_. He didn't even know about the Omnitrix, and yet here he was, showing him his equivalent of unfaltering faith.

He started slightly as someone tapped him on his shoulder from behind. Turning, he was welcomed by the sight of someone, unlike last time, completely unknown to him. She had vivid, orange hair tied up in a side ponytail, as well as pale skin and striking green eyes. The girl- who by her uniform was from a middle school decidedly more prestigious than Orudera- peered at him in concern. "Are you all right? Was that guy being a jerk to you?"

Kyosuke shook his head immediately, "I'm all right," he reassured her. "He's an acquaintance of mine from middle school, and he wasn't being a jerk- just offering words of encouragement."

"It looked like he was. Being a jerk, I mean," the girl confessed. Her lips curved upwards in a slight smile. "I'm Itsuka Kendou."

"Kyosuke Kirihara."

A slightly awkward silence ensued between them (but in Kyosuke's defence, he wasn't very social. He had no idea how to carry out a conversation with anyone at all). Finally, Kendou broke the silence by saying, "Well…good luck, Kirihara-kun."

"Oh, you too, Kendou-san."

She smiled, once more, and departed.

Kyosuke smiled to himself, before taking a purposeful step forward.

* * *

The written exam was composed of six parts: Math, Science, Japanese, English, History and General Knowledge. While the first five were all middle school level subjects (granted, the questions were not as easy as they would have been for a normal high school entrance exam) the sixth was, obviously, a little trickier, and no doubt the one section that was causing the most grief and heartbreak to every student in the entrance exam hall. By General Knowledge, U.A apparently didn't just mean general knowledge of heroics. It meant general knowledge and forming your own opinions of heroics, and putting it all on paper, which meant being up-to-date on even the most recent developments of heroic society and sometimes even doing intensive research on certain incidents in history. Kyosuke knew this, having given the mock tests before.

_Q.23) Japan is taking the United States of America's place as the _epicentre_ of the heroics industry. Give your opinions on this in no less than 500 words, citing relevant examples from history and current affairs to supplement your answer._

Kyosuke read the newspaper every day, and had prepared for such questions anyway, so instead of panicking, he confidently picked up his pen, turned to a fresh page, and started to write in neat, sharp kanji.

With the presence of such heroes such as the Symbol of Peace, All Might, and the Flame Hero, Endeavour, it is undoubted that Japan has a solid brace of heroes to protect her…

He went on for a while, making corrections and annotations, and once even adding a citation to supplement a remark that the examiner could perhaps perceive as slightly arbitrary. Once he was satisfied, he laid down his pen and stretched his fingers, just as the bell signifying fifteen minutes of the exam remaining went off. He picked up his paper and read through his answers, over and over, after which he raised his hand and said, "Please, sensei…I'm finished."

The proctor, a skinny blond man- Yagi-sensei, his name was- looked up and smiled kindly. "Thank you, Kirihara-kun," he said softly. "You may go and prepare for the practical portion of the exam."

Kyosuke nodded, fetching his bag and heading out into the hallway. He had twenty minutes to eat his bento (Endeavour's Fiery Eggs and rice) in the designated area before he would need to head into the auditorium and be briefed about the practical exam.

He walked into a wide space, noticing several chattering students comparing answers and eating from their own bento- sometimes at the same time. He looked around for an empty place where he could sit, and, finding one, he made for it. As he was just about to sit down and start eating, however, he bumped into another person- one having orange hair. His heart quickened slightly. "Kendou-san," he acknowledged as the girl looked at him in surprise, before smiling widely. "Kirihara-kun! Is…is it okay if I sit with you?"

He looked at her in surprise, before nodding. "Okay."

Kendou grinned, taking out her own (Uwabami-themed) bento and sitting down on a chair adjacent to his. Kyosuke mirrored her actions, taking a bite of his eggs and rice, while she made a start on her own lunch, seemingly a chicken salad of some sort and black coffee.

The resultant silence, this time, was broken by Kyosuke. "How did you find the written exam?"

Kendou shrugged. "The General Knowledge portion was a little difficult, but I quite liked my answers for the rest of the paper. How about you, Kirihara-kun?"

Kyosuke hummed. "It was okay. I quite liked my answer to the twenty-third question."

"You mean the one about Japan being the epicentre of heroics?" At Kyosuke's nod, she continued, "It was a good question. I'm a little worried I didn't make enough references to supplement my answer, though…but what do you think about it, Kirihara-kun?"

"Hmm?"

"About Japan taking America's place as the epicentre of heroics?" Kendou's stare was penetrating. "It's pretty clear that Japan is now the strongest nation when it comes to heroes, right? We don't just have All Might and Endeavor; even the heroes in the double digits, like Gang Orca and Mitsuhide, are extremely powerful. Heroes in the U.S, like Thunder Law and Jade Blade, can't compare."

"You're right," agreed Kyosuke. "Then there was the V.I.P.E.R Incident- Japan was the nation who took care of it, in the end; every other nation in the U.N was completely helpless…"

"Yeah, wasn't that the one when Endeavour collaborated with Scorpio and Crimson Riot to figure out the leader of V.I.P.E.R, and then take him down? I think that's why he became Number Three, and then Number Two after that- after all, his popularity was, for once, higher than All Might's."

It went on like this for a while, each person learning more about the other's intellect and depth of knowledge in the process, their bento slowly becoming emptier and emptier. For Kyosuke, it was a truly delightful experience- he had never had such a discussion with anyone before.

"Ah," realized Kendou, getting up quickly. Kyosuke followed his new friend suit. "We'd better go, it's almost time for the practical."

"Nervous?" asked Kyosuke. Kendou grinned. "A little," she admitted.

Kyosuke smiled back at her. "So am I," he said. The two entered the auditorium and sat at their designated venues after bidding each other quiet goodbyes, and promises to meet after the exam was over.

He sat down, noting with a distinct lack of surprise that Bakugou was sitting right beside him. The blond grunted once to acknowledge his presence, before ignoring him outright. Deciding to mirror his former classmate, Kyosuke shifted to get more comfortable and stared straight ahead.

About five minutes passed (during which Kyosuke sorely wished to be back with Kendou- she would be much better company than this guy) before the stage lit up, showcasing a grinning leather-clad man with very interestingly styled blond hair. The Voice Hero, Present Mic.

"Okay, boys and girls, it's time to settle down! Everybody, say HEY!" Present Mic yelled into the speaker he carried as a part of his hero costume. No one responded.

"What a dignified response!" Kyosuke would have probably believed that he was completely unperturbed from the tepidity of his audience, but for the fact that his arms were trembling. "Well, no matter. Time to lay down the rules of the exam for all you boys and girls! Are you readyyy?! YEAH!"

There was still no response. Bakugou snorted from beside him.

"Meh, guess y'all are so nervous you can't speak. Well, anyway!" The screen behind the Voice Hero shifted, showcasing a bunch of silhouettes of what looked like robots, with numbers written below them. "The rules of the exam are simple. You walk out to whatever test centre you've been assigned, which is written on a placard on your desks, by the way-" Ah, so that explained why there was a large white card on which was written a black C on his desk- "and you destroy robots! There are three kinds of robots, each giving you one, two and three points respectively! Rack up as many as you can, 'coz all you guys and gals have only ten minutes to do so!"

So that was it? Destroying robots? Kyosuke gave a slight smile. That was good for him- he had a lot of aliens good for destruction, and there was no danger of timing out granted that his time limit was twenty-five minutes- well above the exam time of ten minutes.

"So that's it- any questions?"

"I have a question!" A bespectacled, black-haired boy stood up stiff and erect, arm raised high in the air. Kyosuke raised an eyebrow. "It seems that you have neglected to mention that there is a fourth robot displayed on the placard given to us!" Surprised, Kyosuke checked it, flipping it over, and- yes. Four robots were displayed there, not three. "If this is some sort of mistake, U.A should be properly ashamed of it!"

"Hey, now!" Present Mic was utterly unfazed, despite the whispering throughout the auditorium. "I was just getting to that, #4481. Ahem, yes." The screen wavered before displaying a picture of the last robot, with a number zero below it. "That, dear listeners, is a zero-pointer. It's more like an obstacle than anything else. I suggest you avoid it."

"Thank you very much! I apologize for the interruption!" the black-haired boy sat down. Bakugou snorted again.

"Okay! Lastly, remember this, all of you- Napoleon Bonaparte once said, 'A hero is someone who is capable of overcoming life's misfortunes.'"

"So, don't be afraid, and above all, remember to go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!" Present Mic shouted with a broad grin.

* * *

Kyosuke stood in his tracksuit, which as aforementioned was a navy half-sleeved jacket over a white shirt and navy pants. He was warming up, stretching his muscles and relaxing his body. Students all around him were doing the same thing.

He noticed several people that stood out. A girl with pink skin and black sclera. Another girl who had a posture and tongue resembling a frog's. Even Kendou was here, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. He decided to leave her be, for the time being._ 'I'll talk to her later.'_

"OKAY, START!"

He looked up in shock. _'Already?'_

Present Mic was grinning from above him, holding a large megaphone. He didn't let himself waste another moment- he rushed forward, activating the Omnitrix even as students around him gaped in shock. "What?! There aren't any countdowns in a real fight! Run, run, run! #2421's got the right idea!"

He spun the dial, ignoring everyone shouting and yelling behind him, before finding the alien he wanted, slapping down on the watch face. Instantly, he became about six inches taller even as he ran, blue and black fur emerging from his body with the black fur forming a sort of mask on his face. Blade-shaped structures erupted from his elbows as he became a hundred times faster.

_**"Fasttrack!"**_

The blue-furred, muscular alien ran at speeds equalling that of a shinkansen, putting much more distance between himself and his peers. Soon, he found his first robot; a one-pointer, if the large 1 on its chest was anything to go by. Without even stopping, he sliced at it with his elbows, the robot barely getting a chance to say anything before it was sliced apart, and blew up to smithereens.

"Yeahhh!" shouted the alien in excitement, taking down four more one-pointers and a two-pointer, before a student (the black-haired boy who had spoken up earlier) finally showed up, taking on a robot for himself. Other students soon followed, but Kyosuke was by then occupied with other things- namely, gaining points and not letting himself be knocked out of his rhythm by errant missiles.

For the time being, he stayed as Fasttrack, cutting down robots with his blades or simply kicking and punching until they were down. However, he soon found out that he was at a disadvantage.

Unlike many heroes with speed-type Quirks, Fasttrack didn't have very fine control over his speed. He often found himself bumping into buildings and other examinees when he should've stopped or turned instead. His maneuverability was made worse by the fact that more and more students were arriving in the area he was at, which meant having to often pace himself and stay aware of his surroundings, which was very difficult to do as Fasttrack. The speedster alien was so fast that he could only really focus on one thing at a time.

So, he raced over to a clump of robots and hit the Omnitrix symbol on his chest.

Blue fur was replaced with metallic yellow-and-grey skin and a wide set of shoulders between which a head floated.

_**"Lodestar!"**_

The metallic alien held up his pincer-like hands, even as examinees around him stared in shock. "Time to see whether you're all _attracted_ to me!" he quipped.

A powerful magnetic wave exploded from his body, instantly affecting the robots all around him. When he'd discovered this alien in Dagobah, he'd had a field day with all the metal implements there…after he'd learned to control his powers, of course. The metallic humanoid hadn't been an easy alien to use at first, but soon, his control over his magnetic powers had improved greatly. With a swipe of his hands, Lodestar instantly clumped together and destroyed at least five metallic bodies.

"Okay, going great!" he smiled (or he would have if Lodestar could move his lips or even his mouth) when he noticed a boy looking somewhat scared as he was cornered by two three-pointers in an alleyway.

"Oh shit!" he muttered, running toward the boy even as the robots turned on him. "It's time for the two of you to take a hike!"

He swiped his hand, the robots slamming into the buildings making up the alleyway as their sudden magnetization caused them to repel each other with alarming speed. The boy breathed a sigh of relief, wiping his brow and smiling. He looked somewhat plain, with black hair streaming down his face. "Thanks, man! I was kind of out of my depth, there."

With a flash of green, Lodestar was Kyosuke again, making the boy jerk back in shock, before regaining his composure and looking excited. "No problem. Sorry for stealing your kills."

"Hey, that was so_ damn cool_, just now, how did you- LOOK OUT!" the boy roared, his arm…hardening? -as he swung a massive haymaker at an approaching one-pointer, blowing its head off. Kyosuke was the one to jerk back, this time. "Thanks for the save."

"No biggie. I'm Kirishima."

"I'm Kirihara," responded Kyosuke, before manipulating the face of the watch once more, turning the dial several times before slapping down on the hologram of the alien he wanted. Promptly, he started to change shape, a bright green aura emanating from his body as it contorted and shifted, his neck disappearing and torso thickening under a blue-black carapace. A massive pair of jaws formed, along with onyx claws and a large horn.

**_"Eatle!_"** shouted the newly-transformed alien joyfully. Kirishima stared at him in wonder. "How are you doing that, man?"

"I'll tell you later," the beetle-like alien waved the question aside. "For now, however…time for lunch!"

The black-haired boy looked utterly bewildered as Eatle started to pick up the remains of the unfortunate three-pointers and crush them between his formidable jaws, chewing with the air of a food critic delving into a new and delicious type of dish that he'd been starving to try for several months. "Um…I'll just go, shall I?"

Eatle did not bother responding as Kirishima left. Despite the brief camaraderie that had formed between them during the spur of the moment, an exam was still an exam, and they were running out of time. Speaking of which… "You have exactly four more minutes to complete the exam!" Present Mic's voice cheerfully rang out throughout the entire area.

"Looks like it's _crunch_ time!" quipped Eatle as he sped into the fray once more, a green, undulating beam shooting out of his horn and tearing through a robot that had been just about to unload its missiles on him with ease.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the entirety of the examinees, they were being watched as they performed the exam by a select board of teachers through a plethora of hidden cameras. These teachers were currently examining each student, looking for any sign of talent or skill that laid beyond what was expected of a normal high-schooler. Two of these examinees had caught their interest to a significant degree.

"#2420- Katsuki Bakugou. Quirk: Explosion. Allows him to generate nitroglycerin via his sweat, which he then ignites," read out the 18+ Only Hero, Midnight.

The Hound Hero, Hound Dog leaned forward in interest as the said boy leaped over two robots, blowing their heads off with a tremendous blast and an even more tremendous roar. "He certainly hasn't anything lacking when it comes to tenacity. He's amassed sixty-eight villain points already."

"What about rescue points?" countered the Blood Hero, Vlad King. "Zero. It doesn't matter that no examinee knows about them- he hasn't bothered to save anyone from the robots, even when they needed it. Hell, he almost hit someone with his explosions when blasting that one three-pointer down!"

"If he gets accepted into U.A- and at this rate, he will- then we'll need to work on his brashness and complete lack of restraint," agreed Midnight. "That boy is a diamond in the rough."

"What about the other examinee? #2421?" interrupted a lazy voice in the background. The teachers in the front turned away from the screens for a moment to regard the Erasure Hero, Eraserhead, whose dry eyes were fixed blearily, but alertly, on a screen showing a massive rhinoceros beetle mowing down a robot that had been about to concuss a pink-skinned girl with a mighty swing. "His Quirk is easily much more interesting, what could it be…"

"#2421- Kyosuke Kirihara," read out a blond-haired skeleton, who was in actuality the Number One Hero, the Symbol of Peace, All Might, adopting his persona of Toshinori Yagi. "Quirk: Super Saiyan. It is called that because it makes his hair look exactly like that of one, and keeps it clean and free from any ailments such as dandruff and lice, besides."

There was a long, incredulous silence. "No way!" chorused at least six teachers at the same time, which was to say every teacher in the room except Eraserhead, the principal Nedzu, and the Clone Hero, Ectoplasm. The heroes that had voiced their shock were Yagi himself, Midnight, Vlad King, Cementoss, Present Mic, and Snipe. "Look at how many creatures the boy's turned into, already!" protested the third of the above mentioned. "There has to be some sort of mistake!"

"No, I don't think so, Kan-kun," said Nedzu pleasantly, taking a sip of his green tea. "If you look at the screen closely enough, you'll notice that the boy hits something on his wrist every single time before he transforms. And, he has a little symbol located on his body every time he is a creature- look, the beetle has it on his chest." Indeed, there was a strange green symbol with black triangles either side of it present on the beetle-like creature's chest, clearly visible as he exchanged words with the girl, who was clearly thanking him for saving her.

"Do you think he is using some sort of weapon, then, to transform, Nedzu-kouchou?" inquired Midnight tensely. While weapon usage was not disallowed, the dependence of an examinee on anything except their own skill and Quirk was generally frowned upon. It was bad enough that Quirks were depended upon so much by heroes since their generation- they could be taken away either temporarily or otherwise by use of drugs, or erased by other Quirks like Eraserhead's. Even All Might would be near helpless without his Quirk against a villain. Quirk dependence was necessary for an industry like the heroics section, but like every dependence, it could turn into a vice.

And here was #2421, who apparently had somehow acquired a weapon beyond anything they had ever seen. Of course, in this case, it was surely just to counteract the uselessness of his Quirk in combat, so it was acceptable, but some of these creatures barely resembled anything they had on Earth- the finest example being the one he had called Lodestar. How had Kirihara even gotten this device? Who had made it? And most importantly, why hadn't the Government been informed of the creation of such a powerful device, assuming it had been made on Earth?

Eraserhead scowled slightly. "Obviously, this can't be some sort of second Quirk. Whether the boy passes the exam or not…he shall be having words with us, later."

Nedzu smiled. "His means of combat notwithstanding, his figures are even more impressive than Bakugou's, at the moment. He has seventy-one villain points, and more impressively, twenty rescue points, giving him a total of ninety-one- no, ninety-three points." The boy had just brought down a two-pointer with a mighty punch, still in the form of the beetle.

"How much time remains, Yamada-kun?" called Nedzu, getting a prompt response of, "Only a minute and thirty-eight seconds, Nedzu-kouchou!"

"Excellent," the mouse smiled in satisfaction, sipping at his tea before putting his cup aside. "Send in the zero-pointers."

* * *

"Haaaah!" yelled Kyosuke, as he flipped over a robot, having changed into his human form when fighting as Eatle had become a bit tiresome. Despite his surprising strength and unique powers, the rhinoceros beetle was not good at taking on multiple opponents at once- he was a little too slow for it. So, he had changed into his human form and had taken advantage of his formidable spatial awareness and fighting skill to wreak mayhem on the robots surrounding him. They were one-pointers and incapable of ranged attacks, thankfully.

The robot slammed downward, going out of commission as its red eyes darkened. Kyosuke shook his head in amazement. U.A really went Plus Ultra on every stage!

"KIAI!" came a similar war cry, and the boy turned to watch Kendou punch two robots at the same time with a hand that was as large as her torso. Clearly, it was her Quirk, which she then used to take down another robot that had been approaching her from behind.

Kyosuke hailed her as she stopped for a while to rest. "Kendou-san!"

She looked at him, green eyes registering shock before warming in recognition. "Kirihara-kun!"

"Good going, so far?" panted Kyosuke, as he rushed at two one-pointers speeding towards them. Kendou followed behind him; she gripped one robot and slammed it down as he ducked a swipe from the other before catching it on the head with an elbow strike. "Yeah! Thanks for asking!"

He looked around; all the robots seemed to have been disabled. "Huh, seems there aren't any robots around anymore."

Kendou nodded in agreement. "Does that mean the exam is over?"

Apparently not quite yet. The ground started to shake as a colossus emerged from it- a titan of steel and technology that towered over the buildings as it gave a loud, metallic roar. The number 0 was transcribed on it with grey paint.

"Wait…_that's_ the zero-pointer?!" yelled someone behind them. It sounded like Kirishima.

"Isn't it a little…big?" offered the pink-skinned girl, Ashido, uneasily, as it started to walk towards them. Kyosuke's feet seemed glued to the floor- he didn't move even as the examinees, save Kendou, Kirishima, and Ashido themselves screamed and ran from the scene. The former tapped his arm frantically. "Kirihara-kun, we can't beat that thing! We have to leave, now!"

The girl was right; despite the plethora of aliens- especially Lodestar- that he had in his Omnitrix, Kyosuke didn't think he could defeat it. Damage it, perhaps, but not beat it. Besides, what compensation would he receive for it? He turned to leave (manipulating his Omnitrix to transform into Fasttrack) when his attention was arrested by a piercing scream.

"Someone…please help me!"

It seemed to be a girl who had just spoken, a brunette girl who seemed to be trapped under some rubble that the zero-pointer had knocked down. Kirishima looked at the girl, then at the group. "It would be so unmanly to just leave her there!" he insisted.

"We won't," agreed Ashido and Kendou simultaneously. Almost as one, the three turned to Kyosuke, who blinked in surprise. "What?"

"How can we save her?" Kendou asked. Kyosuke closed his eyes and tried to think of a plan, scrambling for any knowledge of their Quirks that he had. Kirishima could harden his skin, Ashido could produce acid, and Kendou could enlarge her hands. What could he do, in order to save the girl and knock out the zero-pointer?

He thought for a few moments, before opening his eyes purposefully. He wouldn't be able to fight the zero-pointer, or rescue the girl, alone, but with the aid of these people? That could mean a whole different story, provided his desperate plan worked. "Kirishima, I need you to get that girl out of that rubble. You have your hardening Quirk- you can do it easily and with the least injury."

The boy smacked his fists together. "I'm ready for it!"

The zero-pointer was only about ten metres away from them, now. Quickly, he turned to Kendou and Ashido. "Get on my shoulders."

"Ehhh!" screeched the two girls, again simultaneously. Kyosuke winced even as he knelt. "We don't have time for this! Just do it!"

Blushing slightly, they obeyed, Kendou sitting awkwardly on his left shoulder while Ashido occupied his right. "What will you be doing?" asked the latter.

Kyosuke grinned, manipulating his Omnitrix until he found the alien he wanted and slapping down on it. "This!"

His body was swallowed in a verdant blaze as he grew, grew, grew, until he was almost twenty feet tall. His stature widened and his body grew several layers of muscle, before acquiring leathery brown, armour-like skin. He appeared much more like a dinosaur, now, with a tail sweeping out beneath his legs to complete the transformation.

_**"HUMUNGOSAUR!"**_ rumbled the brown dinosaur, the astonished Kirishima now much smaller, the equally astonished girls now sitting very comfortably on his shoulders. "Okay, you are _definitely_ showing me how you did that!" yelled Kendou from his left.

"In a moment!" grinned Humungosaur, growing even taller now as spikes protruded from his back and down from his spine. He was now just a metre or two shorter than the zero-pointer. "All right, hang tight!"

"Aaaah!" screamed Ashido, holding on to the spikes on his shoulders for support. Humungosaur ran forward, past the terrified brunette and to the zero-pointer. "I'll restrain it!" he roared as he ran. "Kendou, you try and hold its head steady, and Ashido, give it the strongest acid you've got!"

"Roger!" chorused the two as the gigantic alien caught hold of the robot's hands, crushing them and moving closer to grip its shoulders. This was the girls' cue; they jumped off Humungosaur's shoulders and on to the zero-pointer, which screeched and struggled.

"Like I'd let you get away!" shouted the alien confidently, gritting his teeth and straining his immense muscles to hold the robot in place. It was difficult, _so_ difficult, but it was doable. "Don't worry, Kendou, Ashido; I have him!"

The former of the two ran, punching repeatedly at the head before grasping it firmly, even as her knuckles bled. Ashido, for her part, waited until Kendou had gotten a steady hold of the head before rushing forward with amazing agility as the most corrosive acid she could produce flowed from her fingers and into the cracks of the zero-pointer's head. She continued at it, the acid eating away at the robot's cerebral matrix, Humungosaur holding it grimly and Kendou tearing off chunks from the head so the acid could move directly into the robot's brain.

"Almost…there!" screamed the orange-haired girl, with a final effort tugging spiritedly at a section of metal until it came free…and that was when the zero-pointer's single red eye went dark, and it slumped downwards, the girls getting on to the dinosaur's shoulders before they fell.

Simultaneously, Present Mic's voice rang out one last time throughout the test centre: "Tiiime's UP!"

* * *

Exhausted but delighted with his day's work, Kyosuke Kirihara lay in his bedroom, thinking over the aftermath of the exam.

The four had been tired beyond belief, assembling in the central square of the centre (Kyosuke had, of course, turned back into human form by then) with Kirishima still carrying the brunette piggyback-style; she had fallen unconscious during their brief scrimmage with the zero-pointer. Whether it was because a stray rock had struck her, or because of the shock of seeing a dinosaur charge past her, Kyosuke did not know.

(He later learned that her name was Ochako Uraraka and that she had gotten stuck under the rubble because she had been trying to help up a struggling examinee, who had pushed her aside and right into the path of the falling pieces of stone.)

Recovery Girl had appeared soon after that, giving everyone some All Might shaped gummies for energy, and laying a kiss (which had shocked the coterie of examinees) on Kendou to heal her torn knuckles. Privately, Kyosuke admired her for her distinct perseverance, which reminded him quite a bit of a certain blond boy.

The four had been too tired to do anything except exchange e-mails and numbers, and promise to hang out the next day, at a café. After all, there were certain things people could not do without emerging as friends afterward, and taking down a titanic, cycloptic robot was one of them. Kyosuke had then made his way home and was now here, in his bed.

He had garnered exactly seventy-five villain points, he knew. Whether that was an impressive figure or not, he didn't know just yet, and he refused to speculate on it or even think about it until the letter showed up five days later.

However, for the first time in his adolescence…he had friends. This was the most wondering thing that had happened to him today. He had made _friends_.

Kyosuke grinned into his pillow as sleep overtook him. Already, he was looking forward to the next day.

He slept peacefully that night.

* * *

** Hey guys, what's crackin'**

**Again, leave a review if you liked, hated, or had an opinion about the chapter in any way. Reviews, follows and favorites are welcome :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall. The newest and easily one of the most popular malls in Musutafu. There was literally nothing one could not do there, be it simply drink coffee or sing at a karaoke bar. Kyosuke and his friends had come here, exactly four days after the U.A Entrance Exam, to do precisely these two things.

They had decided to hit the karaoke bar first, as a result quickly discovering that none of them had any talent for the art of singing, something which they found deeply amusing (and would never fail to use as teasing material, later).

Kirishima, for example, had all but murdered the song he had chosen to sing ('The Day', by Porno Graffiti. Why its members had chosen to name their band that, Kyosuke did not know) with his over-exuberance and unnecessary loudness. To his credit, he had taken the subsequent merciless teasing quite well. Kendou had done much better, her choice of amazarashi's 'Sora Ni Utaeba' rather surprising- it was a somewhat unpopular song. Nevertheless, she had done reasonably well. Ashido had been worse than Kendou, but better than Kirishima; then again, all of her artistic flair belonged on the dance floor, not on the singing platform. As for Kyosuke….

Ashido was still crying tears of laughter as they exited the karaoke bar. Kirishima was slightly better off than his middle school classmate, but he was still laughing loudly enough for it to be heard at least one hundred metres away. Kendou, being a much politer specimen, was patting the white-haired boy's back while she hid her giggles from his view.

"I still don't understand what was wrong with my performance," argued Kyosuke vehemently. His rhythm had been okay, his voice hadn't cracked at all, and he had a respectable baritone; what could have gone wrong?

"I-it's your tone!" cackled Ashido. "Your voice is like a p-permanent deadpan, Kirihara!"

Kirishima immediately imitated Kyosuke's manner of singing, which would have sounded exactly like a deep, monotonic speech, had it not been for the rhythm accompanying the song. "_'Saramada kakagero peace sign…_'"

It was enough for Kendou and Ashido to start laughing, once more. Kyosuke felt a deep blush on his cheeks, and he looked away while inwardly cursing his pale skin. It made his blushes so much more prominent!

The four of them looked for a café they could sit in and have some food and coffee. Kendou, in particular, loved black coffee and anything coffee-flavoured. It was her sole indulgence, she had alleged at their first outing as a group, in a diet otherwise filled with salad and lean protein. Ashido liked natto and okra (her favourite foods) and would always try and get something containing one or both of them wherever they went. Kirishima had slightly simpler tastes ("Meat is super manly, bro!"). However, Kyosuke was the black sheep, in that he did not have a favourite _food_ per se; but rather a favourite dish; namely, as mentioned, the Endeavour's Fiery Eggs.

(Ashido had called him out on the simplicity of his choice several times after he'd revealed this. Kirishima, in sharp contrast, had supported it, saying something about how there was nothing manlier than pure and simple spice, which was, obviously, what the dish was full of. This had quickly escalated into an argument that Kyosuke had ignored along with Kendou.)

"Look, I see a good-looking café over there!" Kirishima yelled exuberantly, pointing at an establishment that looked respectable and welcoming, if not a little dark. Unlike many cafés, which preferred white and yellow lighting, this one seemed to give off a homier and more comfortable aura with amber light and tasteful brown shades of paint.

They walked in, revelling in the cool, dark atmosphere, as a waiter with silver hair showed them to an empty table and promised to be back within fifteen minutes to take their order. The four picked up menus- or rather, Kirishima and Ashido picked up menus, while Kendou and Kyosuke shared a third- and were soon ready with their orders (chicken ramen, natto sushi, cottage cheese salad, and scrambled eggs on toast, respectively, as well as four coffees of varying brews).

"I like it here," whispered Kendou, as the waiter strode away from them. "It's quiet and relaxing; the ambience is nice, and the service is good."

"Prices aren't so bad, either," Kirishima put in his two cents.

"Shame it's so far away from our houses," Ashido sighed, leaning back against her chair with her shoulder brushing Kirishima's, slightly. Kyosuke shrugged. "Eh, you win some, you lose some."

For a few minutes, the friends sat, simply enjoying each other's company in quiet contentment, before Kyosuke leaned forward slightly. "The U.A test results will probably arrive today," he said suddenly, his eyes glowing with purpose.

To his surprise, his statement was received with a multitude of groans and general disapproval. "Ki-ri-ha-ra-_kun_!" rebuked Kendou, lightly hitting him over the head with each syllable.

"What?" demanded Kyosuke, rubbing the afflicted area. "They're important! They decide whether or not our careers as heroes are made or broken!" This did absolutely nothing to quell the aforementioned disapproval emanating from Ashido and Kirishima in waves.

"Yeah- and you've also brought them up every single time we've gone out like this," deadpanned the black-haired boy, leaning back in his chair. Ashido followed through with, "You do realize that they aren't going to change or arrive any faster no matter how many times you mention them, Kirihara?"

"I get that," said an exasperated Kyosuke, "but-"

"But nothing," lectured Kendou. "It's _fine_ that you want to be a great hero, Kirihara-kun- we all do. But obsessing over the results isn't going to achieve anything. Why don't you try to relax, just enjoy the moment?"

This silenced the white-haired boy.

"The test results may be good, they may be bad; it doesn't matter, right now," Kirishima said with a smile. "Try to live in the right now."

At that precise moment, their food arrived. Ashido squealed in joy as she instantly picked up her natto sushi, devouring it ferociously. Kirishima slurped contentedly on his ramen, while Kendou started on her Turkish black coffee. Kyosuke looked at his scrambled eggs thoughtfully, not eating anything just yet.

'_Maybe they are right. Maybe I'm being a bit too obsessive.'_

He picked up his fork and knife, cutting into the toast and deftly spearing it, before taking a bite.

'_Maybe…it's not so bad, once in a while, to just…relax and enjoy the moment.'_

* * *

The white-haired boy stared at the crisp envelope, completely nondescript except for the unmistakeable U.A logo on the red stamp sealing it closed.

After he had bid goodbye to his friends, he had headed straight home, for once not thinking about U.A or whether he'd passed the entrance exam; just how much fun he'd had with everyone at karaoke and the café. Despite his resolution not to think about his score and how good it was, comparatively, he had been doing it subconsciously, without even being aware of it.

When Kyosuke had reached his house only to find the envelope waiting at his front door, he took a moment to reflect on the irony of the situation, before picking it up and carrying it inside, to his desk. Since the past ten minutes, he had done nothing but stare at it.

"Oh, to hell with it!" he said finally, tearing it apart fiercely, only to find a little disc-shaped object. He looked at it, confused, before he jerked back in shock as the blue centre lit up to display a hologram of-

"All Might?!" he asked, further confused and shocked. Why was the Number One Hero present here?

"How goes it, Young Kirihara?!" hailed All Might jovially. "I am here…to tell you your results! For you see, from this semester onward, I will be teaching at U.A!"

Kyosuke sputtered slightly. _'What on Earth!'_ While this, of course, explained his appearance here, why was the Number One Hero taking up a teaching career? The Symbol of Peace, of all people! How would he even find the time to balance his career and his teaching?

There would be time to ponder that later; All Might had started to speak once more. "Young Kirihara, you performed very well indeed on your written exam, achieving a score of 95%, with particular distinction in the General Knowledge segment. **Very** **nice**!" All Might finished with a thumbs-up. Kyosuke felt a thrill course through him; that wasn't at all a bad score.

"Your practical, however, was a different story."

Joy turned to horror in an instant. Oh no…what had happened? Had seventy-five points been too less, after all?

"You didn't just perform well in the practical portion, you went above and beyond what any other student in U.A's history has ever scored! You gained seventy-five villain points, which would have already been enough to pass, but what none of you knew was that there was an additional segment to the exam! For people who showcased the spirit of self-sacrifice, for the sake of other examinees who needed help! **Rescue** **points**!"

"You, Kyosuke Kirihara, did not only score seventy-five villain points; you scored** one hundred rescue points**, for your bravery and sacrifice in saving three separate examinees!"

Kyosuke's eyes almost fell out of his head. Behind All Might, there was a screen on which was playing several scenes from the practical. Saving Kirishima as Lodestar. Rescuing Ashido as Eatle.

Saving the brunette as Humungosaur, with Kendou and Ashido on his shoulders and Kirishima digging her out of the rubble.

"**These two parts of the exam add up to create a truly magnificent score of one hundred and seventy-five points, thus not only coming first on the entrance exam by a large margin but also beating the previous school record by twenty-three points! Therefore, Kyosuke Kirihara…you have been accepted into U.A High School!**"

Tears were swimming in Kyosuke's eyes. "This…I can't believe it…"

"Come, Young Kirihara." All Might's smile was a beacon in the dark as he held out his hand. "This…is **your HERO ACADEMIA**!"

As the hologram faded away, Kyosuke got to his feet, clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and unleashed the loudest scream he had ever done, in a long, long time.

* * *

Shouto Todoroki watched the T.V screen with narrowed eyes.

On it was displayed a massive, dinosaur-like creature of some sort, holding back an equally, if not more massive, robot as an orange-haired girl tore its head apart. Obstructed from view was another girl with pink skin, secreting some sort of liquid from her body. Clearly her Quirk, it was seemingly eating away at the robot's inner circuitry. Behind them, a boy with long black hair was digging a girl out of some rubble.

These four were the top scorers of the U.A Entrance Exam, and consequently Shouto's greatest rivals throughout his tenure at the prestigious hero school. One of them- Kyosuke Kirihara- had even broken the previous record of one-hundred and fifty-two points that had been set by All Might himself, and had remained unbroken even by his father, who had received a score of one-hundred and forty-seven points.

He wasn't too worried about the rest of them. Ashido, Kendou, and Kirishima might have had excellent scores themselves (one-hundred and twenty, one-hundred and twenty-five, and one-hundred and twenty-seven, respectively) but Shouto had already analyzed everything about them that was necessary. Their fighting styles, their endurance, their strength, their Quirks. They would be no threat to him at any stage.

But the white-haired one. Kirihara. Shouto still found him an enigma- him and his impossibly strange Quirk. What sort of Quirk let its wielder turn into so many different and powerful creatures? And what sort of creatures were they?

A muffled stomping alerted him to the presence of the man he hated most in the world. He scowled as Endeavour's footsteps sounded outside his room before the _shoji_ door was slid open.

"Shouto," a deep, guttural voice sounded out behind him.

Resenting every second of it, he turned around and bowed slightly, never taking his eyes off his father in a deliberate show of disrespect. "Father." The word flowed from his mouth with a contempt that should have not accompanied that word in any world.

Enji Todoroki scowled coldly. "Have you perused the videos of the Entrance Exam?"

"Yes."

The Flame Hero stalked over, glaring at the dinosaur- which had by this time turned into the white-haired enigma whose Quirk he couldn't figure out- with anger and resentment. It didn't surprise Shouto. The boy had done what Endeavour hadn't been able to do at that time; beat All Might's record.

"That damned rat is hiding something from me," growled Enji. "Five times I've called him, demanded him to explain that child's Quirk to me. Five times he has not responded."

Shouto did not speak.

Enji got up, pinning his son under a frigid stare. "Listen to me. I do not care whether you know that boy's Quirk or not; I expect you to be superior to him, at every stage. Do you understand me, Shouto?"

"I don't need you to tell me that," snapped the heterochromatic boy angrily. He knew why- he knew why his father was telling him this. Normally, he wouldn't give a damn about anyone in U.A…but this person had broken All Might's record. If Shouto surpassed him now, that would finally prove to Enji that he'd achieved what he'd intended to when he'd birthed him.

Surpass All Might. Surpass the one hero whom he'd always fallen behind, no matter how hard he studied or trained.

Shouto hated it. Hated _him_. Was his destiny merely to remain a puppet to carry out his father's dreams?

Endeavour walked out, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Itsuka breathed in slowly, filling her lungs with oxygen and energizing her body for the bout that was to follow. Her opponent watched her carefully, no doubt trying to gauge her opening move by looking for the subtle tells their sensei had told them to watch out for, and to hide.

The referee waited for one, two, three seconds. Then-

"_Hajime_!"

Itsuka instantly opened with a spinning kick, which was somewhat unusual for her given her Quirk, but then again, they weren't allowed to use them in the fight, and a punch-based attack would have been easier to see coming, besides.

Her opponent blocked it with his arms, wincing slightly at the force of her blow, before sweeping his leg out to trip her. He would have succeeded, had Itsuka not predicted that exact move. She leaped while balancing on her left foot, his leg passing underneath hers rapidly and harmlessly.

"Hah!" she cried, blitzing her opponent with a series of kicks and punches, which he evaded and returned in equal measure. Soon, however, he gasped in pain as she landed a front kick on his solar plexus, followed by a roundhouse punch to the ribs. Her third attack, however, was stopped cold as he recovered in time to do so with his palm.

He then attacked, nailing her in the shoulder with a front kick of his own and a subsequent hook punch to her stomach. As he was about to move in to throw her over his shoulder, she evaded his grip, before tripping him up and knocking him out of the ring with a final palm thrust.

Just like that, their fight was over.

A storm of clapping reached Itsuka's ears- no doubt from the watching _karateka_\- as she helped her fallen opponent up, grinning. "Good match, Ojiro-kun."

Mashirao Ojiro smiled back at her. "You too. It was great, the way you dodged my shoulder throw."

"That was because they are still too predictable!" chastised Itsuka, whacking him over the head. Ojiro grinned slightly self-deprecatingly. "Sorry, sorry…"

"You've both done well." Her sensei, an older man with greying hair and sharp eyes, said with a kind smile. In order to celebrate the two of them successfully passing the U.A Entrance Exam, their sensei had held a friendly, ceremonial bout between the two of them. Besides, this would also mean quitting the dojo, as they would, more likely than not, not have the time to come any longer.

Itsuka and Ojiro had joined the dojo on the same day, each wanting to get stronger and become great heroes, despite having simple Quirks. This common interest and the fact that they went to the same school had made them friends rather quickly.

She had considered bringing him along several times when she went to hang out with Kirishima, Ashido and Kirihara. However, she had finally decided against it, as she didn't think Ojiro would really enjoy the experience (he wasn't as extroverted as she, after all), and that would also mean that Kirihara would be the only one without a friend from middle school accompanying him. She didn't want to leave him with that sort of lonely feeling.

Besides, the bond she shared with the three of them was different from the bond she shared with Ojiro. While she had known the blond-haired boy for longer, it would be somewhat weird for her, if not anyone else, to have her friends be introduced to Ojiro so early after she'd met them.

"Kendou-kun!" the sharp voice of her sensei interrupted her musings. "Even if it is your last day, that doesn't give you permission to slack off!"

"S-Sorry!" she stood at attention immediately, much to Ojiro's apparent amusement.

Her sensei sighed. "Well, you did get admitted to U.A, so I think I'll let you off, just this once."

She inwardly sighed with relief. Her sensei could be brutal at times, making her be the _uke_ for some other student- which meant being their punching bag as they tried out some offensive technique- or making her run laps around the dojo with weights strapped on her feet.

As she was let off from the dojo for the last time (not without some emotion from her part and her sensei's, as well as from Ojiro), she walked home, still in her karate uniform, bag slung over her shoulder. Soon, she would be at a whole new school, with a whole new classroom, studying a whole new subject. Change, she reflected, was all around her.

Well, at least she would have her friends by her side as she embarked on this new journey, she thought to herself as she broke into a run.

* * *

Eijirou Kirishima was nervous, as he had been since he had passed the U.A Entrance Exam.

When he had gotten the notice that he'd passed the toughest exam of any heroics school in Japan- with flying colours, no less- he had been ecstatic, his parents had had tears pouring from their eyes, and they had even gone out to his favourite restaurant to eat, which they normally couldn't do because it was a little out of their price range.

The very next day, he'd met up with Kirihara, Ashido, and Kendou to do the exact same thing- albeit at a slightly less validated establishment- that was to say the café they had gone to after karaoke at Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall. He'd soon learned that they had passed with similar scores to his, which had only added to his happiness.

(Eijirou had been pleasantly astonished when Kirihara had revealed his score (it was well above any of theirs, after all), and that it was the new record of U.A's entrance exam. Ashido had needled him endlessly about this, saying something along the lines of how he would be 'the golden boy of the first years', much to his embarrassment. Kendou had merely congratulated him with a big smile on her face, which had only made him blush harder.

It was as if none of them were disappointed or resentful that Kirihara had beaten them by such a large margin as fifty (or so) points, reflected Eijirou later. They had just been happy for him, as he had been for them for achieving second (himself), third (Kendou) and fourth (Ashido).

It was strange. He hadn't felt jealous of Kirihara at all, even though a part of him (that he _hated_) had resented many of his middle school classmates- like Ashido! - for having Quirks that were so much more interesting and powerful than his. And Kirihara's power- even if it wasn't a Quirk- was far beyond his own. However, he hadn't felt any jealousy- only a burning desire not to lose to his friend again.

Did that mean he was finally maturing? Leaving his demons behind? Becoming the manly version of himself he'd aimed to be since he'd started to train to enter U.A?)

In light of this new revelation, he'd gone to a hair salon to dye his hair red and spike it straight up. Not an easy job, given that he had so much hair, but he'd managed. It was all for the sake of striving to be the man he wanted to be; the hero he wanted to be.

Despite all of this, he was nervous. More than he'd ever been before. Two days from now, he would start training at the best hero school Japan had to offer- realizing his dream of becoming a hero like Crimson Riot that he'd thought of in grade school all those years ago. It made him wonder- was he truly ready to become that guy?

It made him sick to know that, after all this time…his insecurities still plagued him as they had back in middle school. Even now, he felt no different from that boy who, like his Quirk, was so often disregarded and overlooked in favour of flashy characters like Ashido. Hence, his self-doubt and nervousness.

It was at that moment that his phone started buzzing, belting out the song 'Peace Sign' by Kenshi Yonezu, the song Kirihara had sung at karaoke a few days ago.

Confused, he picked it up. The caller ID registered as 'Mina Ashido'.

He sighed, long and drawn-out, before accepting the call and holding up the phone to his ear. "Yo."

"_Kirishima-kun!"_ Ashido's voice was cheery, despite the fact that it was late in the evening.

"Ashido, why are you calling me at nine p.m?" deadpanned Eijirou, not unkindly.

"_Well…"_ she hesitated slightly, piquing his interest. _"I was kind of…nervous. About, uh, U.A? And…and I figured I'd call you…'cause, you know…"_

"Yeah. So am I." He was weirdly touched that Ashido had chosen to rely on him. "It's okay. I'm sure everyone's feeling nervous. U.A's no joke, right?"

"_No,"_ she agreed, relieved. A brief silence stretched out between them before she spoke again. _"Why did you dye your hair?"_

Eijirou grinned. "Looks super manly, don't it?"

"_Yeah! Though I _was_ surprised," _she admitted_. "I didn't think you would go so far as to do something like that. How are you even going to maintain that sort of hairstyle?"_

"With tons of hair gel! Though I should probably say that it takes three minutes to set," he said, a little sheepishly.

"_Three minutes-!"_ she broke off with a splutter of laughter, and Eijirou couldn't help but join in.

Once they had finally calmed down, she spoke once more. _"You never answered my question, Kirishima."_

Eijirou sighed. "…I wanted to dye my hair because my idol is Crimson Riot."

Sensing the sudden seriousness in his voice, Ashido did not speak. She let him continue.

"You know what his hair's like… all red and spiked up. I wanted a hairstyle like that, so I could make myself my own image of a hero while showing that it was inspired by him." He broke off, before continuing. "I always thought that Crimson Riot was the manliest dude, ever! I admired him and idolized him, and I still do. His Quirk's not the flashiest, but he's still so frickin' cool that I can't help but admire him, even now.

"I want to be like him. I want to be chivalrous and manly, but at the same time, I don't want to copy him. I want to be my own version of the hero I think is cool and manly. That's why I dyed my hair…it was so that I could be a cool hero, like Crimson Riot!"

He breathed slowly as his impassioned speech came to an end. Ashido remained silent, before laughing slightly. _"Kirishima…that's great. It's awesome that you want to be a hero, and it's awesome that you idolize Crimson Riot the way you do._

"_But at the same time…don't put so much pressure on yourself! It's fine to sit back and let the change happen naturally. Don't _force_ yourself to be like him…it'll come on its own."_

Eijirou was silent.

"_When you think you've become the hero you've wanted to become…come tell me, okay?"_ Ashido told him softly.

_Beep._

Eijirou sat back on his bed, slowly stretching out his legs as he thought about what Ashido had said.

He wasn't nervous, any longer.

* * *

Kyosuke had a slight grin on his face as he entered, in full U.A school uniform, into his dream school's hallowed halls. His Omnitrix rested on his wrist, gleaming as the white light reflected off of its polished grey dial.

"Class 1-A, class 1-A," he murmured, increasing his pace a fraction. It was already 9:00 am, and he didn't want to be late for his first day of school.

"Aha!" he said triumphantly, spotting a gigantic door that said "1-A" in big red letters. _'Wow, the door is _really_ big. I wonder whether U.A gets many giants as its students?'_

Musing to himself, Kyosuke opened the door and instantly registered three things.

One, Kendou, Kirishima and Ashido were all in his class, and already together and talking animatedly, not having noticed his entrance yet.

Two, Bakugou was also in his class and was currently exchanging several heated words with a bespectacled boy- the one that had asked the question during Present Mic's briefing about the practical. _'So, he passed too, huh? Not that it's surprising, of course.'_

Third, (and this was making him slightly uncomfortable), quite a few students were eyeing him in a not-so-subtle fashion. For example, a boy with strange white-and-red hair split clean in the middle (wait! Kyosuke actually recognised him- that was Shouto Todoroki, the son of Endeavour. Was he scouting him out as a potential rival or something?) and a rather voluptuous black-haired girl (whose hair was tied up in a wild ponytail) with sharp grey eyes and the overall air of an _ojou-sama_.

'_Ahh! I recognise her too- that's the heir to the Yaoyorozu fortune, Yaoyorozu Momo! Hadn't she got in with recommendations along with Todoroki? Have these two got wind of my scores? Is that why they're looking at me like _that_?'_

If there were two supposedly strong, smart, and essentially deadly students scouting him out in that fashion…there was really only one word he could use to encapsulate his situation.

"_Shit_," he muttered in English, finally getting his friends' collective attention. "Kiriharaaa!" they all shouted joyfully, beckoning him over. Or well, Kirishima and Ashido shouted 'Kirihara'; Kendou added a '-kun' at the end.

Uneasily trying to ignore the two elites staring his way, he ventured over to his friends. Or rather, he was about to, before a girl's voice from behind him stopped him. "AH! It's you!"

Kyosuke turned sharply, only to find the brunette girl he'd saved (or rather, _Kirishima_ had saved, while he fought the zero-pointer as Humungosaur along with Ashido and Kendou) looking at him with sparkling eyes and round pink cheeks.

"Thank you so much for saving me, back then!" she beamed at him (he had to fight the urge to squint as his friends came over). "I mean, I was so worried when the four of you weren't running from that big robot, but then you transformed into that big dinosaur and were all like _pow!_ And _boom!_" She punched the air enthusiastically to emphasize her point. "And that boy with black hair- he was so dependable and cool!"

Kirishima went a brilliant red, and he coughed several times as Ashido roared with laughter at him. Kyosuke, for his part, had only gotten more uneasy- the stares coming his way had intensified greatly.

"You little shit!" an angry voice came from behind his friends, who turned to see Bakugou kick aside his chair and stalk angrily over to Kyosuke. "What's this I hear about you being able to turn into a dinosaur and a rhinoceros beetle and fucking obliterate the school record?! I had to fucking pinch myself when I saw you during the entrance exam- that dinosaur transforming into you, just like that! Since when have you been able to do that, bastard?!"

Kyosuke waved his hands frantically, for once losing his composure as he became overly conscious of the fact that everyone in the class was watching the confrontation- including Todoroki and Yaoyorozu! – and that his friends were eyeing Bakugou with disdain and anger for speaking to him in such a way.

"It's not what you think!" he yelled. He couldn't tell Bakugou about Gyakusetsu-sensei- telling Kendou, Kirishima and Ashido had been enough. He didn't trust anybody else with that sort of information. Therefore, he used the best cover story he could think of. "It isn't a Quirk- I got this watch from someone- it was a gift!" He felt his face redden.

Bakugou's eyes narrowed. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Hey," snarled Kendou. "Back off! It's none of your business!"

"Make me, bitch!" Explosions crackled off Bakugou's palms as he snarled right back, giving no quarter despite the rudeness he was showing.

"You know, if you've come here just to pick fights, you should just leave right now."

A dry, inflectionless voice reached their ears from behind the brunette, who shrieked and leaped away from the door to reveal…a giant yellow caterpillar? Said caterpillar revealed himself to be a person when he cast aside his yellow sleeping bag and stood up.

'_Huh…is this guy supposed to be a pro hero?_' thought Kyosuke to himself. He didn't look the part- he was unshaven, uncombed and dressed in a rumpled black jumpsuit, with a white scarf covering his neck. Nevertheless, he looked extremely intimidating as he gazed at the throng of students in the class.

"I'm Shouta Aizawa, your homeroom teacher for this term," he drawled, rummaging in his sleeping bag and withdrawing a packet of juice, which he drained before pulling out what seemed to be U.A's gym uniform. "You'll find these beside your desks. Put them on and come outside to the field."

And thus, began Kyosuke's first day at U.A High School.

* * *

**U.A Entrance Exam**

**Practical Exam Results**

**No. 1: Kyosuke Kirihara  
Villain Points: 75  
Rescue Points: 100  
Total: 175**

**No. 2: Eijirou Kirishima  
Villain Points: 57  
Rescue Points: 70  
Total: 127**

**No. 3: Itsuka Kendou  
Villain Points: 35  
Rescue Points: 90  
Total: 125**

**No. 4: Mina Ashido  
Villain Points: 45  
Rescue Points: 75  
Total: 120**

**No. 5: Katsuki Bakugou  
Villain Points: 77  
Rescue Points: 0  
Total: 77**

**No. 6: Ibara Shiozaki  
Villain Points: 36  
Rescue Points: 32  
Total: 68**

**No. 7: Tenya Iida  
Villain Points: 52  
Rescue Points: 9  
Total: 61**

**No. 8: Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu  
Villain Points: 49  
Rescue Points: 10  
Total: 59**

**No. 9: Fumikage Tokoyami  
Villain Points: 47  
Rescue Points: 10  
Total: 57**

**No. 10: Ochako Uraraka  
Villain Points: 28  
Rescue Points: 25  
Total: 53**

* * *

Hey guys, what's crackin'

Went a little out of my depth here doing POVs other than Kirihara's. Do tell me what you think so I may improve :)

As always, thank you so much, everyone who has favourited, followed or reviewed my story.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

The gym uniform was made of nylon, and was blue with red and white accents. Kyosuke pulled at the collar meditatively as he walked over to the field with Kendou, Kirishima and Ashido flanking him, simultaneously shielding him from Bakugou's ire and the rest of the students' scrutiny, much to his relief.

When Aizawa-sensei informed them of the Quirk Assessment Test, he was surprised to say the least. He would assess their Quirks by making them do exercises like ball throws and push-ups? That seemed...somewhat foolish. Had Kyosuke been the one designing the test, he would have made it much more specific depending on the type of Quirk- not so vague and generic as simple middle school fitness tests.

It just didn't make sense…could it be that Aizawa-sensei was trying to achieve something entirely different than assessing their Quirks?

Well, whatever. It didn't matter anyhow. The score of aliens that the Omnitrix gave him would definitely see him through the test.

"Kirihara."

The white-haired boy started in surprise as his name was called by his lethargic homeroom teacher, who seemed to be holding a softball with some sort of weird metal object attached to it. Aizawa-sensei beckoned him over. "You got the highest score in the entrance exam, is that correct?"

"Yes," admitted Kyosuke reluctantly, feeling several eyes boring into him once more.

"What was your record in the softball throw in middle school?"

"Um…sixty-one metres, I think."

Aizawa nodded. "Earlier," he began once more, now addressing the entire class, "your physical aptitude was judged on the basis of your baseline strength without your Quirks. That was foolish, and we don't do things of the sort here at U.A." He nodded at Kyosuke. "Use your Quirk to throw the softball."

The white-haired boy nodded, gripping the softball in his left hand while he manipulated the Omnitrix with the other. As soon as he found the hologram he wanted, he hit the protruding watch face. Instantly, his body grew taller and taller, muscles bursting and tail growing as brown leathery skin covered his body.

_**"****Humungosaur!"**_ he cried, ignoring, or trying to ignore, the shocked looks on the students' faces. He handled the softball, now barely the size of a marble from his perspective, and stepped up to the chalk circle before throwing it with everything he had.

As it shot up into the air like a bullet, he could hear students whispering behind him, debating the nature of his Quirk. It made him uncomfortable, so uncomfortable, why couldn't they just _stop_….

A soft beep was heard from the tablet Aizawa was holding in his hand, and with a nod of satisfaction, he turned it over to display the score to the rest of the class.

3292.5 metres.

As his classmates all gasped in admiration, Humungosaur swiftly tapped the Omnitrix symbol on his chest to turn back into his human form, before rapidly jogging back to his friends, who all offered their own congratulations before flanking him like they had before. Aizawa-sensei dismissed the score on the tablet before speaking up once more.

"As you can see, when you use your Quirks, you get overwhelming physical and mental advantages. U.A is not going to let those go to waste. All of you are going to take this test, using your Quirks to boost your records."

"So, we can use our Quirks as much as we want, huh?" grinned a black-haired boy with oddly-shaped elbows, rubbing his palms in anticipation.

"As expected of U.A!" grinned Ashido. "We can have fun and play with our Quirks no matter what we do!"

Aizawa-sensei's eyes darkened abruptly. "Fun? Play? I'm sorry, do you think this is a game? All right, then. I've decided- the student with the lowest score is going to be expelled from U.A."

Kyosuke's eyes widened, as did those of every student. _'What?!'_

"But you can't do something like that!" Uraraka (he had learnt her name a short while ago) protested. Joining in the uproar were a blond boy with a single lightning-bolt shaped streak in his hair, the boy with weird elbows from earlier, and Ashido and Kirishima themselves. Even Kendou was looking worried, though Bakugou, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu were remarkably calm, he noted.

Expulsion from any institute of learning was a supreme disgrace, even more so in Japan than in most other countries. Expulsion from a hero school was no less a disgrace, be it U.A or Ketsubutsu. "To do this on the first day itself, or even at all…this is just too unfair!" the brunette continued.

"Grow up!" thundered Aizawa-sensei menacingly. "Natural disasters, villain attacks, destruction and death…will you try and prevent these by pleading unfairness? It's useless! Japan is covered with unfairness, and if you all want to become heroes, you'll have to deal with it! Do you think, with an attitude angled towards _fun_ and _play_, you can become heroes?"

Ashido hung her head shamefully. Kyosuke just narrowed his eyes at the teacher, who lifted his bangs up and grinned sinisterly. "You have three years to become heroes, and if you've chosen to do it here, at U.A, you'll have to deal with my methods of teaching. Welcome to U.A's hero course, children; here, we're going to throw everything we have at you, and you're going to come out of it with Plus Ultra on your lips.

"Are you ready?"

* * *

The Quirk Assessment Test was divided into eight parts. The fifty-metre dash, the ball throw, the grip test, standing long jump, repeated side steps, the seated toe-touch, an endurance run, and sit-ups.

Up first was the fifty-metre dash. Kyosuke would be racing with Iida- the bespectacled black-haired boy whom he'd recognised from the entrance exams. From what he'd seen of Iida, his Quirk seemed to be a mutant-type that allowed him to run at extremely high speeds using engines from his legs. This was rather surprising to Kyosuke- Iida's stature was much bulkier than what he would've expected from a speedster…or maybe he was just somewhat unfairly comparing him to the speedster _he_ could become, who was an extremely lean alien.

Speaking of whom…Kyosuke grinned as he turned the watch face over and over, before slapping down on the hologram of a certain blue-furred feline.

"_**Fasttrack!"**_

The lean alien took his place beside the astonished Iida (who had clearly never seen anything like Kyosuke's transformation before), before, on the call of the robot who was acting as referee, bursting off in a flash of blue, and crossing the finish line in-

"1.98 seconds," droned the robot timekeeper. Fasttrack smiled in satisfaction as Iida raced up behind him with his own respectable score of 3.14 seconds, before gasping slightly in shock as the other boy passionately told him "not to sit on your laurels for too long, for I shall be training every day to catch up to you, Kirihara-kun!"

Kyosuke had never met such an upright, and simultaneously, such a heated character before. At least the class wouldn't be boring with people like Iida and Bakugou in it, he reflected as he switched back to Kyosuke in a flash of green light.

Ashido was quite good as well, beating out her competitor at 4.19 seconds. Kirishima and Kendou, sadly, could not use their Quirks to help them with this sort of thing, but they did well anyhow, coming in with times of 7.02 seconds and 6.77 seconds, respectively. There were some other standouts as well, particularly Bakugou with a score of 4.13 seconds, a boy with a tail called Mashirao Ojiro (whom Kendou seemed somewhat familiar with) with 5.49 seconds, and a frog-like girl called Tsuyu Asui with a score of 5.58 seconds, but none came close to beating Fasttrack's record.

Whether that bothered or relieved Kyosuke, he did not know.

The standing long jump was the one test none of them could use their Quirks (or Omnitrix in Kyosuke's case) properly. The best he could do was to aim behind him with Eatle's horn like the French boy- Yuuga Aoyama- had done, and even then, he'd landed _just_ outside the sandbox.

The grip test, however, was when Kirishima and Kendou really shone. Kendou especially- she came in third among the class with a great score of 557 kilograms, only being beaten out by a massive boy with several arms and a mask called Mezou Shouji, who got a score of 560 kilograms, and Kyosuke himself. For the grip test, he didn't choose Humungosaur; rather, he chose an alien he hadn't transformed into for a long time.

In a blaze of green, his ribcage expanded once, twice, thrice, as he grew bulkier, his features fiercer, and orange-and-white fur with black stripes emerged from his body.

"_**RATH!"**_ screamed the newly-transformed, tiger-like alien, surprising the students nearest him. Growling, he picked up the grip tester and crushed it in his fist. "Lemme tell ya somethin', you fancy-ass grip tester from U.A!" he yelled, his accent now sounding much more like one from the Kansai region of Japan. "Rath is the strongest one around, so he's gonna _crush_ you, and make ya _**like**_ it!"

Indeed, after a few seconds, a loud crack sounded out from his fist, and Rath opened his hand with a shit-eating grin on his face to show a cracked grip tester handle, still showing a display of 645 kilograms from its untouched screen.

"What's with Kirihara?" murmured Ashido, Kirishima grinning beside her with his own score of 545 kilograms, "it's like he's a completely different person!"

Kendou rubbed her chin as Rath transformed back into Kyosuke, who was still grinning as he handed his damaged grip tester to a robot. "Maybe some of his aliens influence his personality."

With the repeated side-steps, it was a simple matter for Kyosuke to transform into Fasttrack once more and perform the test- he had amazing reflexes; and when he was Fasttrack, he felt like he had a permanent adrenaline/caffeine rush, which was perfect for this sort of thing. He didn't come first- that honour went to a rather unsavoury boy called Minoru Mineta- but he was second, with Bakugou coming a close third.

The ball throw passed by eventfully, though Kyosuke did not participate, having already done so as Humungosaur. He was actually grateful for the opportunity- it gave him a chance to observe the rest of his classmates'- especially Yaoyorozu and Todoroki's- Quirks.

Yaoyorozu seemed to have some sort of Creation Quirk, what with how she made a cannon to shoot her softball in the air for a score of 2980.3 metres; higher than anyone's besides Kyosuke's himself, and Uraraka's, who simply made the ball float with her Quirk for a score of infinity. Kendou also did well, getting a respectable 698.9 metres as her score, and Bakugou edged her out slightly with a score of 702.5 metres.

Todoroki's Quirk was intriguing; ice emerged from his body to propel the ball up into the air until a distance of 678.2 metres. For the son of Endeavour to have an ice Quirk was confusing to say the least. His hair colour indicated that he could control _some_ heat-related element- people just didn't have that sort of hair for no reason (Kyosuke self-consciously ran a hand through his own)- but he wasn't displaying it at all. Weird.

The last three tests, he did in his human form, and they were definitely not as eventful as the last few. Kendou was his partner for the sit-ups and toe-touch, and they ran as a group during the endurance run, but that was it. He could see that Mineta was struggling with every one of these tests, and realized that he was the most likely to get expelled. _'Still,'_ he thought, as he ran with Kendou beside him, setting a fast pace for Kirishima and Ashido, who were behind him_, 'it's not like he doesn't have potential. Hopefully, Aizawa-sensei won't expel him even if he comes last.'_

After the endurance run was over (Iida came in first, with Asui and Bakugou coming up behind him for second and third place respectively. Kyosuke came in at around sixth or seventh place himself) they all assembled in front of Aizawa-sensei, who displayed a holographic screen for all of them to see. "Here are your rankings for the Quirk Assessment Test."

Kyosuke was pleasantly surprised to see his name at the very top of the list (Kendou and Kirishima elbowed him in his sides for it) with Yaoyorozu coming second and Todoroki coming third. Kendou and Kirishima had tied for sixth place, and Ashido wasn't too far behind them at eighth place.

As he had predicted, last place was Mineta, who looked traumatised and horrified as the others looked at him with pity, disdain, or apathy. Aizawa dismissed the screen and said, "By the way, I was lying about the expulsion."

_What_.

A grin formed on the raggedy hero's face. "It was a logical ruse to make you perform at your highest potential!"

Kyosuke and his friends were dumbstruck, as were most of the students, though Yaoyorozu just looked at them with mild incredulity on her visage. "Of course, it was a lie."

'_We didn't notice!'_ rang throughout the brains of every student present. Mineta seemed to be crying with relief, snot and tears dribbling down his face. Many shied away from him in disgust, though some, including Aizawa-sensei, just ignored him.

"That's all for today. You may return to your classroom." Aizawa said, stowing away his tablet and walking towards the robots, presumably to deactivate them or send them on their way. Kyosuke made to leave, but then his teacher's voice called out his name for the second time that day.

"Although, Kirihara. Come with me." The man's eyes seemed to bore through him and stare into his soul. It was quite unnerving, and the fact that this very man had personally called Kyosuke out did not make him feel better.

"Are you going to be okay?" Kendou asked softly, gripping his arm gently while Kirishima and Ashido watched with worry in their eyes. The boy tried to smile at his concerned friends, to try and reassure them. "I'll be okay. You guys should probably go."

After they left, Kyosuke faced Aizawa-sensei warily, unsure of what the man was planning to do. Obviously, he had been held back because of the Omnitrix- he had not mentioned it to any of the faculty or even said something about it when he had been asked to write down the details of his Quirk. While yes, he'd filled out the entry form before he'd got the Omnitrix, but he could have still written a letter or an e-mail to inform U.A about the device.

Was Aizawa-sensei going to punish him for not revealing the full extent of his powers beforehand?

"Relax, Kirihara," came a dry voice. Kyosuke started, jerking back slightly. Aizawa-sensei watched him with slight amusement playing in his eyes, before speaking once more. "You told us in the entry form that your Quirk allowed you to keep your hair clean, free of dandruff and lice, and looking like a Super Saiyan's, without the use of any external agent. While that may be true, it clearly doesn't tell us everything you can do. We need to update that information accordingly."

Kyosuke sighed in relief, before following his teacher inside the building. They climbed several flights of stairs before heading down a hall, and before he knew it, they were standing outside a dark brown, oaken door that said, on a gold plaque, "Principal's Office."

Aizawa knocked sharply on the door, and almost immediately, a cheerful, high voice said, "Come in!"

He opened the door, and Kyosuke found himself staring at…a mouse? A bear? Whatever it (he? She?) was, it was wearing a vest with a red bowtie, had white fur and intelligent beady black eyes, with the right one having a scar covering it. It was sitting on a high-backed crimson chair, behind a brown desk. A white placard that said 'Principal Nedzu' was on it.

The white-haired boy spluttered. "P-Principal?!"

"_Yes_!" the animal-human-thing said cheerfully in English, before slipping into Japanese. "Am I a mouse? A bear? A dog? The answer is…the principal!"

Aizawa-sensei took over to explain. "Nedzu-kouchou is a rare example of an animal which has developed a Quirk; in his case, it is extremely high intelligence, high enough for him to have retained the post of Principal of U.A for almost seventeen years."

"And many more, hopefully!" laughed Nedzu, straightening his bowtie. It was only then that Kyosuke realized that they were not the only ones in the room; Present Mic and an extremely alluring woman that he recognized as the 18+ Only Hero, Midnight, were also sitting in the room on chairs adjacent to Nedzu-kouchou's desk, and were eyeing him with interest. Kyosuke blushed violently when Midnight winked at him, one leg over the other in a pose that left little to the imagination.

"Kirihara-kun! Please take a seat." Nedzu waved him over to a free chair, next to one Aizawa-sensei was already sitting in. Kyosuke gulped slightly before sitting down- he was positioned such that he was facing the principal directly.

"Would you like some tea? Maybe some coffee?" inquired the hyper-intelligent animal, pouring out some green liquid for himself before offering it to him. Kyosuke, in an endeavour to be polite, said, "Tea is fine. Thank you, kouchou-sensei."

Nedzu smiled. "Well, Kirihara-kun, I am sure you already know why you are here today. That watch on your wrist is a very fascinating device, indeed. Quite unlike anything we have seen on Earth, let alone Japan! Might I ask who gave it to you?"

"This device is called the Omnitrix, sensei," Kyosuke responded promptly, sipping his cup of tea (it tasted excellent- green tea and honey and something else…cloves?) He had been expecting a conversation like this to happen eventually whether or not he informed the U.A staff of the Omnitrix before the entrance test, and had already decided that he would hide nothing and tell his teachers everything he could truthfully. "It was given to me by a man who called himself Gyakusetsu-sensei."

"Mic," said Nedzu immediately, and Present Mic pulled out a phone and typed on it, presumably looking up the name.

"I don't know why he gave it to me, or how he even got it,"- Aizawa and Nedzu exchanged glances at this- "but one day, I was returning home, and there he was, sitting in my chair. I tried to ask him how he had got there, but all he did was clamp this on my wrist, telling me that I would soon understand and that I should use this wisely. I can't take it off, either."

"Gyakusetsu-sensei, you said?" asked Mic, looking up from his device. At Kyosuke's nod, he continued, "This person, whoever he is? He doesn't exist. I've tried to analyse everything I could, including the possibility of he being someone using the name Gyakusetsu as an alias…but no luck. No one- civilian, hero or villain- has used Gyakusetsu as a name before, fake or otherwise."

Kyosuke nodded. "I tried looking him up, too…"

Nedzu looked contemplative. "Okay, Kirihara-kun. For the time being, we will consider the Omnitrix as your Quirk for simplicity's sake, especially since you can't take it off. Later, if you are comfortable with it, we shall perhaps run tests to see if it is possible to take it off or learn more about it, but that will be all. We shouldn't fiddle with such high-level technology just yet, I believe."

That made sense. Kyosuke nodded once more.

"Also, I want a full report of the number of aliens you can turn into, as well as their powers and weaknesses; if only so we can help you improve, Kirihara-kun. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but we require this information. Please understand."

Kyosuke nodded for the third time.

"That is all, Kirihara-kun. You may leave."

As Kirihara left the room, the four persons present there were all silent for several moments. Then Midnight, leaning forward with a serious expression on her face, said, "What do you make of that story, Nedzu-kouchou?"

Nedzu leaned back in his chair, stroking his chin reflectively with a paw. "He seemed to be telling the truth, at the very least, so I don't expect to see him here again for the time being. But I'm somewhat curious about this Gyakusetsu character."

"Gyakusetsu is an odd choice for an alias, or even a name, right?" said Present Mic thoughtfully. "I mean, the only set of kanji reading 'Gyakusetsu' that I know of are 逆説, and those kanji mean 'paradox' in English."

"_Paradokkusu_?" asked Midnight, surprised. "That can't be just any random choice of alias. Perhaps that could lead us to the nature of his Quirk, if nothing else?"

"Yes, yes, I think that is it," said Nedzu, looking suddenly excited and leaning forward. "I am sure of it now- this Gyakusetsu-sensei is a time traveller, of some sort."

Aizawa looked at him. "What makes you say that, Nedzu-kouchou?"

The animal genius grinned. "Think about it. This person calls himself by the noun of 'gyakusetsu', or 'paradox' as Yamada-kun pointed out. As Kayama-san said, this cannot be just any alias or name; it is definitely a direct reference to his Quirk. If he is a time traveller, that would explain how he acquired the Omnitrix; he could have taken it from the future- when we _could_ have made such a device- and travelled into our time to give it to Kirihara-kun."

"That does make sense," admitted Aizawa. "But why would he travel back in time to give it to Kirihara?"

"It could have been for any reason," Nedzu shrugged, while finishing his cup of tea. "However, the boy is resourceful and skilled, and he has the drive to be a great Hero. I feel it is just as well Gyakusetsu gave the Omnitrix to him, instead of to anyone else. What do you think, Aizawa-kun?"

The Erasure Hero nodded, which stunned the other two teachers present- Aizawa _didn't_ hand out such praise for a student on the very first day of school. "Kirihara has a great amount of potential. Even though he was embarrassed and uncomfortable at being on such a high pedestal compared to his classmates due to him breaking the school record, he never held back his powers, not even once. He was truly trying his best. It's not even a week past the first semester, and already he's imbibed the school motto of Plus Ultra. Of course, a large part of his high results is due to his Omnitrix, but it's no different from having a powerful Quirk. He has the drive, the skill, and the potential to be something great. Hopefully, he doesn't let it go to waste."

As Aizawa's long-winded speech came to an end, he grinned. "Well, at least this year's Hero Course has plenty of interesting characters. It looks like I have my work cut out for me, right?"

Nedzu nodded. "Aizawa-kun, Kayama-san, Yamada-kun; dismissed."

* * *

The curriculum for the Hero Course was spilt into seven subjects. English with Present Mic, Foundational Hero Studies with All Might (which, obviously, was the most anticipated class of the week), History with Midnight, Math with Ectoplasm, Social Studies with Snipe, Modern Literature with Cementoss, and Science with Aizawa-sensei, who was also apparently the Erasure Hero, Eraserhead. Most of the class called him Aizawa-sensei anyway, unlike the rest of the teachers, whom they referred to by their hero names.

It was also significant to note that U.A didn't just go Plus Ultra when teaching heroics- the curriculum was extremely tough and demanding even when it came to normal subjects like English and History. For example, while Present Mic was a rather easy-going guy when it came to interacting with him outside the classroom, he became much more on edge inside it, which was difficult to cope with, especially since his subject was so dreary and monotonous. This, of course, made for an exceptionally demanding and intense hour of school. Kyosuke still had the shudders from an essay that he had submitted for homework; Present Mic had graded it so harshly that he had gotten fourteen out of twenty, even though it would have yielded him at least four more marks back in Orudera.

Speaking of homework- Midnight had assigned them a large number of practice questions right on the very first week. It had taken him so long to finish that he'd ended up going to bed at midnight…which had probably been her intention when she'd assigned that homework. Kyosuke had had to quit his part-time job, such was the pressure upon them.

Today, however, was a class many of them were looking forward to. Foundational Hero Studies, taught by All Might. Every single member of 1-A was shaking with excitement at meeting the Number One Hero, let alone being taught by him. For his part, Kyosuke was a little more muted, given that he was quite…apprehensive about All Might's teaching skill.

'_Only a few months ago, he had never taught a single class to any student. Now he's the Foundational Hero Studies instructor at U.A, a place which _prides_ itself on its Foundational Hero Studies. I wonder whether he'll be able to handle it.'_

The thought that the Number One Hero couldn't handle something eventually cried blasphemy to Kyosuke, so he shoved it to the back of his mind. However, it remained here, festering and growing with his doubts of All Might's capacity for teaching.

Soon, he heard a stomping outside the door, which sharpened his attention and anticipation. Teaching skill aside, All Might was All Might, and he couldn't say that he wasn't excited to meet the Symbol of Peace. A moment later, the door was thrown open, and All Might strode into the room. "I am…coming through the door like a normal person!" he shouted, his smile wide and bright, wearing a red costume with yellow gauntlets underneath a navy cape decorated with silver stars and stripes.

The students all gasped admiringly as one. "Ahh! It's really All Might!" squealed the invisible girl who'd placed just above Mineta in the Quirk Assessment Test, Hagakure.

"Is that his Silver Age costume?" roared Kirishima in excitement. "So manly!"

"Oh, I remember! That's the one he wore when he fought Mystery Pool!" This voice was one Kyosuke could not pinpoint.

"All right, all right, settle down!" said All Might, not without a hint of indulgence in his voice. "Today, we shall be doing…**battle training**!" He ended his statement by pulling a placard out from the teacher's desk that read BATTLE in red letters. "I have brought your costumes from the support department, and they are waiting outside, for you!" As if on cue, several robots wheeled themselves inside, each carrying a box filled with silver suitcases. "Put them on in the locker rooms and assemble in Ground Beta. I shall be waiting there!"

All Might then left the room, prompting Kyosuke and the rest to come over and pick up their costumes. When they had been asked to submit potential costume designs after their first day of school, the white-haired boy had been somewhat indecisive. After all, his clothes stayed onto his human form when he transformed, leaving him without any in his alien forms. The fact that he was essentially naked in alien form was a little weird, when he really thought about it, but he didn't allow himself to do so.

As he had little fashion sense anyhow and was completely blank when it came to costume ideas, he decided to use Google. It yielded him several helpful sites about costume selection, which, in a nutshell, advised him to pick a costume that enhanced his Quirk, looked good, and was durable.

As no sort of costume could enhance the Omnitrix, he paid more attention to the latter two pieces of advice. The sites further advised him to pick a primary and secondary colour for his costume and have it made out of either Kevlar fibres, leather, metal, nylon or spandex. Picking the colours was easy- black and green- and since he wanted a mix of agility and protection if the Omnitrix timed out, or if he wanted or needed to fight in his human form, he picked spandex, nylon and leather for the materials, but that was it. He had no designs or anything pertaining to them in mind.

So, he had written in his application that his Omnitrix 'allows me to change into several forms that render clothes unnecessary, as they remain on my human form. Please give me something that allows me to fight in my human form if the Omnitrix stops working or times out' and included his preferred colours and materials. Therefore, he was the only one in his class that had no idea how his costume would look, except for its colour scheme.

He picked up his case and walked out of the class to the locker rooms. When he reached, along with the other boys, he tentatively opened his case. His face broke out in a wide grin as he ran his eyes over the leather and nylon _masterpiece_ sitting in it.

It started with a green, half-sleeved nylon shirt that clung to his body and covered his neck, but not uncomfortably. It had metal braces on its sleeves and was interspersed with Kevlar fibres, so that it was stretchy and durable at the same time. Then over that came a black leather breastplate with steel fixings and padded pauldrons attached. It slipped on easily and moved with his breathing, and had neon green stripes on it to look like the Omnitrix symbol (despite the triangles being black, not green), which was still quite nice.

His pants were white with green accents, baggy and designed to be tucked into his boots, which were black and made of steel and leather. Lastly came gauntlets that went to his elbows, which were made of nylon and had steel affixed onto them, with the left one designed to accommodate the Omnitrix.

It was a simple affair, but it looked good. And best of all, Kyosuke felt like a _hero_ in it.

Grinning slightly, he stepped out, Kirishima (in a crimson affair that left his torso exposed) at his side. Given that the boys were far more in number, the girls had finished first and were assembled outside already. Kyosuke was quite surprised to see that the girls had chosen outfits that were somewhat revealing and made of spandex, mostly. Yaoyorozu was the finest example of this- she was clad in a red leotard and literally nothing more. Granted that her Quirk was Creation, this made sense, reasoned Kyosuke. Besides, it spoke volumes of the girls' self-confidence, so he didn't feel the need to point this out.

Soon, he spotted Ashido and Kendou, who were waving to him and Kirishima with grins on their faces. Ashido, he noticed, was wearing a sleeveless purple and turquoise bodysuit with a camouflage pattern that ended in purple boots. She also wore a small fur-lined tan jacket without sleeves and a white eye mask.

Kendou also had an eye mask on (although it was black, not white), but the similarities between their costumes ended there. She had on a blue Chinese gown he recognized as a _qipao_, over which she wore a black…corset? At least, that's what Kyosuke thought it was called. She also had a loose brown belt behind which she wore a white satchel. Navy boots and black spats completed her costume.

He also couldn't help noticing that the two girls looked _extremely_ pretty in their costumes, as well, and he looked down at his feet with pink cheeks. At least, until they came over to the two boys.

"Kirihara, your costume is boring," Ashido commented brutally. Kendou tried to defend him by saying, "It _looks_ okay. Besides, he doesn't really _need_ a costume."

"Fair," agreed Ashido, prompting Kyosuke to explain the reasoning behind the simple design and materials- he needed to fight without his Omnitrix too, after all, he said. Later, they turned on to Kirishima, laughing slightly at his choice of baring his torso. Kirishima simply banged his chest, proclaiming that it was 'super manly' and all of that. While his three friends argued, Kyosuke surveyed the rest of his classmates' costumes covertly.

Iida and Aoyama wore suits of armour that looked somewhat over-the-top, but Kyosuke was sure they had some sort of function. Well, maybe not in Aoyama's case, except perhaps to look flashy, he amended silently. Bakugou had on an explosive ensemble, having a black face mask with an explosion-shaped knot, a black sleeveless top with an orange X on it, and most distinctively, two massive grenade-shaped gauntlets. He wondered as to the reason behind that. The rest of them didn't stand out as much, at least to him.

All Might stood before them all, a proud smile on his face. "They say the clothes make the man. Today, all of you look like heroes!"

They cheered in response.

"All right." All Might walked over to where three massive boxes were placed and pushed one in front. "All of you shall pick out one chit from this box. It has a letter on it from A to J. Whichever one of you picks the same letter ends up on the same two-person team, and they shall be randomly matched up against one another in a 'heroes vs. villains' scenario! It's like the entrance exam, but you won't be facing a robot, you'll be facing an actual person."

"How will wins be determined?" asked Yaoyorozu, putting up her hand.

"Can we beat all of 'em up, anyway?" demanded Bakugou, which made Kyosuke shake his head.

"Will there be a threat of expulsion like with Aizawa-sensei?" Uraraka said worriedly. She was clad in a pink and white bodysuit with an astronaut helmet, noted Kyosuke.

"How will the heroes and villains be selected?" Iida put up a hand while speaking loudly from inside his helmet.

"Isn't my cape crazy?" Aoyama said smarmily, displaying a purple, glittery piece of cloth behind his armour.

"…I'll answer all of your questions...!" All Might said, looking extremely strained, after which he opened…a guidebook? _'Shit. I didn't actually expect that All Might's teaching skill was low enough that he would need to rely on _guidebooks_ to tell him what to do.'_ This thought was fairly disrespectful to the Number One Hero, however, so he put it aside.

"Eh-hem…the heroes and villains will be determined when I pick out a letter from the other two boxes. Whichever one I pick from the red box is the hero team, and the one I pick from the blue box is the villain team.

"The scenario is as follows- two villains have put a bomb inside a building, and it will blow up in fifteen minutes. Two heroes have been assigned to retrieve the bomb, which essentially just means tapping it.

Both teams shall be provided with capture tape, which they may use to restrain their opponents. If a student is caught with the tape, they will be out. If the villain team immobilises the hero team with the capture tape, or prevents them from touching the bomb within the time limit, they win. If the hero team retrieves the bomb, _they_ win!"

"The students can engage in combat, but they mustn't go too far. I will make the call on that." Bakugou looked satisfied anyway. "And yes, Young Aoyama, your cape looks fabulous!"

"Well, that's it. Please pick out your letters," finished All Might as he walked over to the red and blue boxes.

Team A- Kyosuke Kirihara and Momo Yaoyorozu. Kyosuke was okay with that, though he was somewhat apprehensive about Yaoyorozu- she had been scrutinizing him since day one, after all. At least she was smiling at him, so that was good.

Team B- Ochako Uraraka and Kyouka Jirou. He didn't know what to make of this one, but they looked satisfied.

Team C- Mina Ashido and Minoru Mineta. He was worried that Ashido would fall victim to Mineta's perverted antics, but he was sure she could handle him.

Team D- Katsuki Bakugou and Shouto Todoroki. Kyosuke really hoped he wasn't going to be up against that one.

Team E- Eijirou Kirishima and Denki Kaminari. Ranged _and_ melee attack? That would be troublesome…

Team F- Itsuka Kendou and Tenya Iida. While Kyosuke was internally rooting for his friend, he couldn't help but feel that her abilities would count for nought against Iida's frightening speed. Still, he was sure that they would work out an effective plan.

Team G- Mashirao Ojiro and Mezou Shouji. He knew that Ojiro was a martial artist like Kendou, but he knew next to nothing about Shouji, except for the fact that he was really strong, and could grow body parts from his six arms.

Team H- Tsuyu Asui and Fumikage Tokoyami. An animal-based team? He didn't know what to make of it, really.

Team I- Yuuga Aoyama and Kouji Kouda. His opinions on that team were the same as those on B- he didn't know Kouda's Quirk, after all.

Team J- Tooru Hagakure and Hanta Sero. Hagakure was worrying, as she was invisible, and Sero could restrain people effectively. A good team if not slightly incompatible, surmised Kyosuke.

"Now," declared All Might grandly, rummaging in the red and blue boxes, "to decide the heroes and villains!"

He pulled out a red ball marked A, and a blue one marked D.

Kyosuke Kirihara and Momo Yaoyorozu were the heroes. Katsuki Bakugou and Shouto Todoroki were the villains. His blood turned to ice and dread flooded his belly thick as molasses.

_'Oh, no,'_ he thought, wanting to run as far away and as fast as possible. So, in essentials, he was surrounded by people who wanted to literally dissect him, or turn him over from the inside out. Slowly, he turned to watch Bakugou and Todoroki glaring at him murderously.

If there were two boys who were extremely strong and intelligent, both wanting to _murder_ him, both having powerful Quirks, facing him in a mock battle, while he had a teammate who apparently _also_ saw him as a potential rival…there was really only one word he could use to encapsulate the situation.

"_Fuck_."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_If there were two boys who were extremely strong and intelligent, both wanting to murder him, both having powerful Quirks, facing him in a mock battle, while he had a teammate who apparently also saw him as a potential rival…there was really only one word he could use to encapsulate the situation._

"Fuck."

* * *

The bomb was a comically large red-and-white rocket-like affair, made of papier-mache, so it was lighter than it looked and easy to carry for people of Katsuki's strength.

'_That fucking bastard, Kirihara!'_ he thought to himself angrily as he stood with the bomb on his right and Todoroki on its other side. The scar-face was giving him the cold shoulder, not talking to him or even acknowledging his presence. This was fine with Katsuki. He was mainly focused on exactly how he was going to _beat_ Kirihara to the ground, not just for coming first in the entrance exam and beating All Might's record, but also for hiding that fucking Quirk of his for all this time.

All this time, he'd thought the bastard had had a useless Quirk, but now he could apparently turn into creatures he'd never seen before!

Katsuki was going to _kill_ him. How _dare_ he hide that sort of power from him!

"Bakugou," intoned Todoroki unemotionally. The blond looked at him irritably. "What do you want, half n' half?"

Todoroki ignored the nickname. "Stay here," he ordered, walking up to the door. "Kirihara and Yaoyorozu must have infiltrated the building already. I'll freeze it completely, and prevent them from moving."

"…what the fuck?"

The half n' half looked at him. "I said, I'll freeze the building so that Yaoyorozu and Kirihara are immobilized. We don't have much time- Kirihara can turn into that blue mammal with super speed-"

"Fuck that shit!" Katsuki interrupted him rudely. "Me n' Kirihara have got some unfinished business. I'll deal with him. You can take the bitch."

"Excuse me?" asked Todoroki mildly. "My plan is definitely the better one."

"I don't give a fuck! You're not freezing this building."

"I never asked for your permission," shot back the other boy, frost emerging from his boots. Before Katsuki could protest, ice had already covered the building completely. Katsuki would have fired a Stun Grenade in his face, except that he had also been frozen. Ice covered his feet until his knees, holding him in place. "You little shit!"

Katsuki was more enraged than he'd ever been. How dare Todoroki immobilize him like this? The frost covered his feet like a cold prison, keeping him from moving quite effectively. And now Todoroki was walking away to check whether his ice trick had worked. Was that going to be how this mock battle ended? Without him even getting the opportunity to meet Kirihara in combat?

No, fuck this, _fuck_ _this_, Katsuki was going to fight Kirihara, no matter what! Fuck Todoroki, fuck the bitch, all he wanted was to _fight_ _him_!

"Let-" he gritted his teeth, "me-" Todoroki's eyes widened and he flung his hand up to defend himself-

"GO!"

A blast, a flash of heat, and Katsuki was _free_.

* * *

_A few minutes earlier_

There was little Kyosuke could perceive about the location of the bomb from outside the building, despite the numerous windows present. This was a shame; it would have made his- no, _their_\- job much easier.

He stole a glance at his partner, who was currently making some sort of machine that looked half-finished, jutting out of her thigh. Out of curiosity, he asked, "What are you doing?"

She glanced at him before saying, her face set in concentration, "Todoroki-san and Bakugou-san must have stowed the bomb carefully away in a place we wouldn't be likely to locate. This automatically piloted surveillance drone will probably make things easier."

"You can create such complicated objects?" asked Kyosuke, impressed. He had seen her create complex structures like cannons and such in the Quirk Assessment Test, but surveillance drones were on a whole other level.

She smiled at him. "As long as I know how it's made, I can create anything."

Kyosuke watched, fascinated, as the drone was finally forged to perfection, dropping down to the ground. It was a tiny thing (which was even more impressive- minute parts were probably not easy to make) with a small lens on its front and something scrawled in black Roman characters on the front. He picked it up, then snorted in amusement. "The 'Yaoyo-Robot'?"

She blushed, snatching it from him. "I thought it seemed appropriate!"

It seemed Kyosuke had misjudged the Yaoyorozu heiress slightly. _'So, she has a cute side, after all…'_

"Anyway," her face regaining its prior seriousness, showing him a small screen. "Whatever the drone's camera picks up will be projected wirelessly to this device. I'll keep it with me for now; I shouldn't expend my limits so soon creating another one. I'll tell you whatever I see through our earpieces."

This made sense. Kyosuke nodded. "What should be our plan of attack?"

Yaoyorozu hummed quietly. "How about we start from the third floor? The building has five floors, so it seems a good place to start. I can manoeuvre the drone to start surveillance from the top. We can take the stairs from the ground, unless…Kirihara-san, can you turn into a creature capable of flight?"

"I can," grinned Kyosuke, already turning the dial on his Omnitrix. It was Yaoyorozu's turn to be fascinated as he found the alien he wanted. "Stand back, Yaoyorozu!"

He slapped the watch face, his body contorting and growing about a foot taller. His skin became a shade of navy slightly darker than Fasttrack's and covered with chitin rather than fur. His feet split into long talons and four moth-like wings unfurled from his back before settling on his body like a shroud.

"_**Big…Chill!"**_ he uttered, Yaoyorozu's face astonished at the quickness of the change. His wings unfurled as frost crept from his straight teeth. "Let's go, Yaoyorozu. I'll hold you by your shoulders- you carry the capture tape."

"O-okay," she stammered, but her voice determined nonetheless. At All Might's command to start, she hit a button on the drone and held out her arms. Big Chill swooped up and grabbed her, lifting her up with ease. He didn't look like it, but he was quite strong.

"To the third floor!" he cried, passing through an open window while taking care not to let Yaoyorozu be hit by the building. She landed on her feet, a staff emerging from her arm.

The moth-like alien nodded. "I'll go up, you go down." She nodded back, already setting off in a light jog, her staff at the ready. After she had gone, Big Chill took a deep breath before turning intangible (his earpiece fell onto the ground) and gliding slowly through the walls of the third floor.

It had taken a while for him to figure out this power. When he had found out that by concentrating, his flesh and bone disappeared and he was able to glide through objects, he had had a field day testing out his power. Then again, he reflected as he passed through a wall, being intangible was very, _very_ weird. It was like existing and somehow not existing simultaneously; knowing you were alive and on this Earth, but at the same time not feeling the comforting pull that kept you anchored to the living world, as a flesh-and-blood organism always felt. If this was how ghosts and _yuurei_ always felt, he didn't envy them for it.

'_Gravity,'_ thought Big Chill to himself. _'Friction. Sight, smell and sound. Those feelings are all dulled when I'm like this. I don't even fly properly- I _glide_. Then again, I suppose the pros outweigh the cons.'_

He completed his survey of the third floor, concluded there was no one there and went up to the fourth floor. This continued for about three minutes until he finally saw Todoroki and Bakugou stowing the bomb on the fifth floor, Bakugou looking pissed off while Todoroki was as stoic as always. He flew down to the third floor and picked up his earpiece, solidifying once more.

"Yaoyorozu, they're on the fifth floor," he hissed. He heard a noise of confirmation. _"I'm on my way, Kirihara-san."_

He put the earpiece back in his…ears? Big Chill had holes for ears, so he wasn't sure if they counted. While he was doing this, he heard a loud crackling from the top; alarmed, he took to flight as white frost covered the building, thickly layered and tough. "Yaoyorozu!" he shouted. "You okay?"

"_Yes,"_ he heard. _"I_ _jumped as soon as the ice appeared. Todoroki-san must be approaching at any moment…we have to be alert!"_

"You got it," he replied, before an earth-shaking BOOM resounded throughout the building, startling him. What was going _on_ up there? Were Bakugou and Todoroki fighting?

He heard a subsequent series of explosions soon after._ 'Shit. Bakugou is probably coming. Does that mean Todoroki is staying to guard the bomb?'_

Sooner rather than later, he saw the blond coming after him with a vengeance. "Kiriharaaaa!"

He became intangible instantly, Bakugou passing through him completely. Big Chill turned himself around and breathed out, a blue wave of frost emerging from his mouth. Bakugou was able to avoid it, however, by blasting backwards. The ice on the ground was barely hindering his movement.

"I said that I would beat your ass to the ground when I got into U.A," he growled. "Now it's time to make good on that. HAAAH!"

He screamed frenetically, leading with his right as a massive explosion burst from his palm. Big Chill, however, was ready. Ice burst from his scaly hands, forming a spiked mace, which he swung out, countering the blond's explosion effectively. He didn't let up, flowing with a second swing. This time, Bakugou blasted the ice to pieces and blew Big Chill back.

"Fuck!" he snarled in irritation, shaking his hands even as the moth-man landed by unfurling his wings and gently touching down. "I can't explode as much as I'd like to!"

Big Chill grinned. "Not so easy to sweat when it's four degrees out here, Bakugou," he hissed tauntingly.

"I'll _show_ you that I'm more than just explosions, asshole," Bakugou swore, angrier than ever as he charged and kneed the moth-man in the gut before punching outward. Big Chill caught the punch, before ice flowed from his fingers, freezing the offending fist and flinging him away. The blond's untouched left hand exploded in a bright orange flash, bringing Big Chill to the ground even as Bakugou landed with his entire arm (and gauntlet) below his elbow frozen.

'_What's taking Yaoyorozu so long?'_ thought the moth-like alien. _'Never mind. Big Chill won't cut it- I'll just end this with someone else!'_

He tapped the Omnitrix symbol, disappearing in a verdant flash as Bakugou stood up, smashing his arm against the wall to break the ice clinging to it.

"_**RATH!"**_

The newly formed tiger-like alien charged, dark claws erupting from his feet and keeping him from losing his footing on the ice. "Let me tell ya something, Katsuki Bakugou! Ya may be strong, but nobody beats RATH!"

"_What'd you say!?_" the enraged blond screamed as he ran forward, only to receive a mighty punch to the face for his trouble. He flew backwards, blood dripping from his nose and spreading across his face. Rath stopped running forward abruptly before leaping up and toward the still-airborne boy.

"Sirius Butt-Kicking!"

Bakugou was slammed against the wall as he roared in pain.

Being Rath, reflected Kyosuke as he touched down upon the ice, was amazing. Typically, Kyosuke always had to maintain proper etiquette in a formal environment like that of Japan. Manners were taken very seriously here, and more often than not, Kyosuke found himself resenting the strictness of Japanese culture slightly. It didn't help that he was also very reserved and had a hard time expressing himself properly anyway. He wanted to express himself, let the people close to him know who he really was.

However, as Rath, he cast aside his learned norms and customs and became a beast who thought little about what others thought about him- or about anything, period, except fighting. He was overconfident, brash, rude, and violent- and he loved every second of it.

Because as Rath, he was never afraid to show exactly what sort of person- or alien- he was.

"Ha ha!" he jeered at the furious explosion boy. "Ya wanted a piece o' Rath, ya got one- and it was too big for yer _stomach_ to chew!"

"Fuck. You!" roared Bakugou, flexing his palms and unleashing a barrage of explosions. Rath avoided them all, jumping up and against the ceiling before pushing off of it and toward Bakugou with terrifying speed.

"Ultimate Whirlwind!" he roared, spinning in the air like an orange-white tornado and hitting Bakugou across the face with a mighty punch, before slipping behind him and encircling him tightly with muscular arms-

And then, flipping him over in an unmistakable German suplex.

"Polaris Piledriver!"

Bakugou's head hit the ice with a sickening crack, his body falling to the ground unconscious as Rath roared in triumph, clawed paws raised high in the air. "Rath wins! _Yeah_!" he shouted in English, as he had with all of his 'super moves'.

As he turned back to his human form with a green flash of light, Yaoyorozu stepped out of the shadows, smiling nervously. "That was…a sight."

"You were there all along?" asked a bewildered Kyosuke.

"No," she admitted. "I was on the second floor when I heard you fighting Bakugou-san, so I went to scout out Todoroki-san. He seemed to have stayed to defend the bomb, so I returned, just in time to see you knock Bakugou-san out."

Kyosuke winced, scratching his head sheepishly. "Yeah…I think I got a bit carried away."

Yaoyorozu went over to Bakugou's prone form, kneeling and checking him for injuries. Kyosuke, for his part, watched concernedly before wincing once more as All Might's voice came over his earpiece, scolding him for his reckless behaviour and warning him not to pull a stunt like that again on Todoroki. _"Young Bakugou could have been seriously injured! I expect more restraint from you next time, Young Kirihara!"_

"He's all right," assured his partner, who had clearly escaped the Number One Hero's loud rant. "Just a concussion, and a few contusions on his torso. He isn't too badly injured"

"That's…good to hear," mumbled Kyosuke, half of him wondering why on Earth Yaoyorozu considered a concussion to be not too bad an injury, and the other half guilty that he was the reason for said concussion. Then again, it was very difficult to control himself as Rath.

"Anyway, we don't have much time." Yaoyorozu's face was serious. "If Todoroki-san successfully defends the bomb, we lose, even if Bakugou-san is knocked out. I have the bomb's location- we can mount an assault without wasting any time."

"That's great," commented Kyosuke. "Let's-"

He was cut off as a cascade of bluish-white frost poured out of the hallway from in front of him. "Yaoyorozu!" he shouted a warning, hitting his Omnitrix and transforming even as the tall girl used her staff to vault over the wave of ice.

He emerged from the verdant shine as Big Chill, once more, as Todoroki made his way to the forefront, scowling slightly. Had he been waiting for them to let their guard down? The moth-man cursed internally. He hadn't expected Todoroki to waltz in here so brazenly and attack them, leaving the bomb undefended. Going intangible and retrieving said bomb- which had been his earlier plan- would have to wait, it seemed, considering that he would be leaving Yaoyorozu alone against the son of Endeavour, and abandoning one's comrades was not the most heroic of deeds.

"So, Bakugou couldn't defeat you," Todoroki murmured, casting an unimpressed look at the unconscious blond. "That's a shame. However, you will find that I am not as much of a pushover as he was."

Big Chill blinked uncertainly. "Bakugou…wasn't a pushover."

Todoroki didn't reply. He only held out his hand once more, ice cascading off of his entire right side once more. Big Chill, instead of turning intangible, grabbed Yaoyorozu and flew as high as the ceiling allowed, the ice passing beneath the girl's feet.

"Thanks!" said Yaoyorozu, before landing neatly and making a break for Todoroki, who dodged her swift staff strikes once, twice, thrice. However, she caught him once on her fourth swing on his head, making him grimace in pain. Despite her proximity and the fact that he'd abused his Quirk greatly already, he didn't hesitate to fire off another blast of ice, which she barely managed to avoid by using a freshly-created pair of ice skates.

Big Chill narrowed his eyes. Ice Quirks, like Todoroki's seemed to be, had a clear-cut limit on how much they could be used without serious effects on the user's body, which included frostbite and hypothermia. Todoroki had already frozen the entire building and was fighting them relentlessly with it to boot. No doubt he was already feeling its effects.

Moreover, Todoroki's parentage and hair colour indicated that he could use at least some form of a heat-related element. Why wasn't he using it? He could use an aspect of his Quirk that didn't involve predictably shooting mounds of ice at them, and simultaneously thaw out his body. It made plain sense to use his fire, or heat, or whatever his Quirk's other aspect was.

Well, it didn't matter. His flesh disappearing and fading to a blue shadow outlined with navy, Big Chill ghosted through the ice walls with ease, traversing past the astonished Yaoyorozu and blowing his own ice breath at the equally astonished son of Endeavour. Frost crept up his jumpsuit with shocking speed, the boy barely managing to react before he was up to his neck in his own element.

"Damn it…!" growled Todoroki, before shattering the ice by producing some more from his body. Big Chill landed next to his partner, who handed him the capture tape on his request, before flying towards Todoroki once more.

"I suggest you give up," hissed Big Chill. He had been right about the side-effects of using an ice Quirk for too long- the boy was shivering noticeably. Ice was coating his neck and arms, and was present on his face, as well.

Todoroki narrowed his one visible eye. "I don't think so," he growled.

The moth-like alien shrugged. "Your choice." Then, he darted forward with surprising speed, the capture tape trailing behind him. Todoroki tried to block by conjuring an ice wall, but Big Chill simply flew upwards, dodging the ice and landing behind Todoroki. Before he knew it, the son of Endeavour was ensnared in white tape.

The match was over.

Big Chill could hear Yaoyorozu's cheer from behind the ice wall and grinned. However, he reflected, he had to move quickly despite both Todoroki and Bakugou being immobilized- they had only thirty or so seconds to touch the bomb.

Speaking of which…he looked down, registering the fact that Todoroki was glaring at him hatefully. "Dude," he said, unimpressed by Todoroki's behaviour. He did not respond.

Big Chill just shook his head, before flying up intangible and touching the bomb.

"Game, set and match! Hero Team wins!" yelled All Might through their earpieces.

* * *

After the ending of the battle, the four exited the building and rendezvoused to the monitor room. Or rather, Kyosuke, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki exited the building- Bakugou, who was still unconscious, had to be hauled out by robots on a stretcher.

"Well," said All Might happily, "it's time to decide the MVP of the match!" He pointed at Kyosuke, who jerked in surprise. "You are the MVP of this match. Now, can anyone explain why?"

"I can!" said Kendou excitedly, grinning broadly at Kyosuke, who had reddened in embarrassment. "First, we can rule out Bakugou and Todoroki immediately; they didn't coordinate well at all, and Bakugou rushed out to confront Kirihara-kun immediately. Todoroki, instead of trying to dissuade Bakugou or planning to accommodate for his behaviour, froze him to the ground. Then, he tried to take on Kirihara-kun and Yaoyorozu only after Bakugou was defeated. He didn't try to team up with Bakugou against Kirihara-kun, which would have probably been more effective.

"And, while Yaoyorozu did make a drone and hashed out the majority of the heroes' attack plan, in the end, Kirihara-kun was the one to take down both Bakugou and Todoroki. Yaoyorozu's participation in the actual attack was a bit lacking, though we can't not give her credit." She broke off thoughtfully, before adding, "Though admittedly, Kirihara-kun, you could have held back a bit more against Bakugou."

She frowned at him slightly, while he only chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head, before growing more serious. "I know. I'm sorry; I'll be more careful next time." Though, in his defence, self-control was non-existent when he became Rath. The fact that he actually somewhat _liked_ it didn't help, either.

All Might nodded, apparently satisfied. "Well then!" He fished into the red and blue boxes once more, before pulling out a red ball marked E and a blue ball marked B. "It seems that Team E is the hero team and team B is the villain team!"

Kirishima and Kaminari versus Uraraka and Jirou, noted Kyosuke. While Kirishima and Kaminari both seemed excited, the former pumping his fists and the latter rubbing his palms together, Jirou seemed plainly bored, and Uraraka looked somewhat diffident. It made him a little worried about whether the villain team would be able to show off their full potential.

He then turned, walking towards Kirishima. "Good luck," he told him quietly. "Be careful against Jirou and Uraraka; don't underestimate them."

Kirishima grinned at him. "I'm totally gonna win this, bro! I can't lose after that manly display of yours earlier."

Kyosuke smiled slightly before they were joined by Ashido and Kendou, who both said things along the lines of what he had said. Apparently, Jirou had an extremely interesting Quirk- she could manipulate her earlobes to produce sound waves directly from her heartbeat. She also had amplifiers on her legs to further increase their potency. That could be devastating if used correctly, mused Kyosuke.

The battle started without too much fuss. Kirishima and Kaminari advanced carefully but quickly, running up the stairs to look for the bomb, which the rest knew was on the fifth floor. Apparently, Uraraka and Jirou were following a similar strategy to Todoroki and Bakugou with regards to the placement of the bomb, but instead of attacking straight away, they were playing it cautious, Jirou listening with her earlobes- or were they jacks? -through the walls, and Uraraka levitating boxes to use as traps or weaponry.

Soon enough, Jirou predicted the hero team's location and had Uraraka place boxes along the one pathway they would have to use to access the bomb with her Quirk ("Smart," mumbled Kyosuke to himself) whilst lying in wait behind them, jacks at the ready. Uraraka remained with the bomb, either as a last line of defence if things went awry, or as a backup for Jirou if or when she needed it.

As the navy-haired girl had predicted, Kirishima and Kaminari came across the blocked path quite quickly. Kaminari moaned, loudly enough for it to be heard over the speakers. _"Aw, man!"_ Kirishima patted his back before approaching cautiously.

That was enough for Jirou. Calling Uraraka through her earpiece, she leapt out of her hiding place. _"Surprise!"_

"_You've gotta be kidding me!"_ shrieked Kaminari before he was stabbed in the neck by a jack, sound waves throbbing through his body. He fell down and didn't get back up. Kirishima, thankfully, did the smart thing- he threw up his hardening all over his body and attacked when Jirou's back was turned, his fist landing clean on her ribs and slamming her backwards.

She snarled. _"Not very heroic, attacking someone from the back!"_

Kirishima's only reply was to throw another punch. However, Jirou was better prepared this time- she dodged and tried to stab him the same way she'd stabbed Kaminari. However, her jacks slipped ineffectively off of his hardened skin.

Kirishima grinned. _"Not so easy to stab a rock, huh?!"_ he bragged.

Jirou cursed in pain as he tagged her one more time on her face, drawing blood. Even worse for her, Kaminari was slowly getting up, electricity thrumming off of his body. It was at that moment Uraraka arrived, panting even as she ran. Catching sight of the situation, she dashed towards the two fighters, her fingers aimed straight for the hardened boy…

…only for her to gasp in surprise as Kaminari flung out a foot, tripping her and sending her face-first to the ground. Jirou cursed once more (Kyosuke saw All Might admonishing her for her language) and advanced, whipping out her jacks- which had thickened slightly and lengthened to about three metres- to strike Kirishima and Kaminari.

Kendou's eyes widened. "She can use them like that?" Subsequently, she winced as Jirou's sharp jacks drew blood from Kaminari's cheek.

Jirou continued with her assault, Uraraka getting up to help her. Suddenly, Kirishima whirled around, caught Uraraka by the wrists, and flung her towards Jirou. Surprised, she stopped whipping her earlobes about as the brunette crashed into her.

"_Okay, Kaminari!" _yelled Kirishima confidently._ "Get her with your electricity!"_

"_Aww, yeah!"_ said the blond excitedly. _"Indiscriminate Discharge 1,300,000 Volts!"_

A truly abominable amount of yellow lightning flashed out of his body, shocking Uraraka and Kirishima alike. Jirou, who was trapped underneath Uraraka, seemed to escape a little bit of the effects. Kyosuke was dumbfounded. _'Such raw, uncontrolled strength….'_

After the lightning had stopped, everything was quiet. The only sounds that could be heard were a series of odd noises along the vein of "whee" and "yay". After the smoke cleared, it could be discerned that Kaminari himself was making those sounds, with the stupidest expression Kyosuke had seen on anybody or anything. "Whee-yey!" he mumbled, sticking out his hands in a double thumbs-up over and over. A side effect of his powerful Quirk, no doubt.

"_Pfft_\- hahaha!" Jirou doubled over at the sight. She seemed less affected than Uraraka, who was twitching and convulsing on the floor. Kirishima was wincing as sparks travelled up his skin occasionally- clearly, his Hardening had been enough to protect him from the worst of the indiscriminate discharge, but he had been noticeably affected.

"It seems Jirou inadvertently used Uraraka as a sort of meat shield," murmured Kendou beside Kyosuke. "She's more or less unaffected…I wonder how Kirishima-kun will cope with this."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," said Kyosuke, narrowing his eyes slightly. Kaminari was in no shape to fight, and Uraraka was still twitching spasmodically, looking dazed. Both teams were down by one- how would the battle proceed?

Jirou took advantage of the fact that Kirishima was temporarily immobilized (as he had, as aforementioned, not escaped the shock's effects completely) by plugging her ear-jacks into her leg amplifiers and unleashing the most outrageously loud sound Kyosuke had ever heard. Kirishima staggered back, roaring in pain.

"_I thought so," _gloated Jirou._ "Hardening makes your skin really dense- which makes it extremely sensitive to sound-based attacks like mine. Now, you're finished!"_

Cracks began to appear in the redhead's skin- despite that, he stood up, sharp teeth bared in a vicious smile._ "I don't think so."_

Quickly, he leapt towards the navy-haired girl, who simply tried the same attack again, but this time, Kirishima was ready. He danced aside, avoiding the waves of sound, before punching outward, Jirou just barely managing to dodge. He continued to attack, however, with the happy result of the girl receiving a full-force punch to the solar plexus.

"Hmm, that's not a bad strategy," said Ashido. "As long as he stays close, Jirou can't aim her sound waves at him. Or her _amplified_ sound waves, anyway," she amended slightly.

"And Jirou can still use her jacks like short-range whips," pointed out Kendou. "If he wants to win this, he'll need to keep up his Hardening until Jirou is knocked out, for fear of her hitting his eye or something like that."

"That's gonna be tough on Kirishima…" winced Kyosuke as his friend's head was snapped backwards by a swift whip-strike to the face.

However, Kirishima hadn't come second in the entrance exam for nothing. His eyes glowing with intent, he grabbed Jirou's jacks with amazing reaction speed, pulling her forward and kneeing her in the torso. As she gasped in pain, he grabbed her costume by the collar, flung himself backwards while bringing Jirou up with a leg. As he reached the apex of his arc, he let go, the sacrificial stomach throw, or _tomoe_ _nage_, working devastatingly as she was tossed backwards, crashing back-first into the wall and slumping to the ground all in one moment.

"Woah!" stammered Ashido, as Kirishima whooped in triumph and started to scale the stairs to the bomb. Jirou tried to stop him, stretching an arm (and an earlobe) in his direction, but she was too winded to even get up. "I didn't know Kirishima knew judo!"

Kyosuke was surprised as well. This was new information. Kendou was beaming- no doubt she was extremely happy that she wasn't the only martial artist in their group of four.

As Kirishima touched the bomb before kneeling in exhaustion before it, All Might cried into the microphone, "Game, set and match, Hero Team wins!"

* * *

Katsuki Bakugou awoke slowly, wincing as his eyes were pierced by a bright white light over his head. Where was he, and what was he doing here? He struggled to remember what he could, his head throbbing and mouth dry. That's right. Kirihara. That tiger-like alien. He'd fought him…and lost. He scowled abruptly. He'd lost. To _Kirihara_. He'd lost to a worthless fuck who could have passed for Quirkless, for how useless his fucking Quirk was. Or at least, how useless he'd _thought_ his Quirk was. If the entrance exam, and today, was anything to go by, it apparently entailed a lot more than simply giving him Super Saiyan hair.

Or maybe it wasn't a result of a Quirk? He had, after all, seen Kirihara tap a watch of some sort before transforming. But it just didn't make sense… the reason for his aliens was a fucking _watch_? Either way, if it wasn't his Quirk, how the hell had he even gotten a device of that kind of power?

His dark musings were interrupted by a slight exclamation from somewhere to his right. "Oh! You're awake!" Recovery Girl, realized Katsuki. Well, it could have been worse. His first visitor could have been his greasy-ass homeroom teacher, or even that loud-as-shit prick Present Mic. She ambled closer toward him, handing him a bottle of ice-cold water. "How do you feel?"

"Like shit," mumbled Katsuki, swigging thirstily from the bottle. In hindsight, however, he should have felt a lot more pain than just a throbbing head. Where were all his injuries? Oh right- Recovery Girl must have healed them. No wonder he felt so fucking tired.

The Youthful Hero nodded, looking as if she had expected the answer. "You have a slight fever- it must be due to your Quirk. Overusing it causes slight rises in your core body temperature, it seems."

Katsuki didn't reply, which caused Recovery Girl to sigh. "You know, Bakugou-kun, you could really benefit from controlling your temper."

That got his attention. "What was that?" he growled.

"I saw your match against Kirihara-kun," she indicated a small screen on the wall to his left. It was displaying a live feed from Ground Beta- the orange chick was fighting what looked to be empty space- but her enlarged hands were clearly hitting something. Wasn't another chick in their class invisible or some shit? Yeah, that had to be it. "I saw you fighting against the tiger-like form he could assume." She clicked a remote, and the feed switched to himself unleashing an array of explosions against Rath, who was simply jumping over them to avoid getting hit. He caught sight of his face; it was covered in blood, white teeth bared in a snarl and eyebrows knitted in a tight frown. "All that time, I was thinking- why couldn't you just calm down? Why didn't you _think_ about the best way to defeat him, instead of simply blowing him up?"

The blond sneered at her. "I don't _need_ your advice-"

"All evidence to the contrary," she said, unimpressed. Katsuki was a _second_ away from blasting her to pieces. "You are not unintelligent, Bakugou-kun. You could have won against Rath if you had been smart about it. Instead, you lost control. Why would you let your emotions cloud your judgment? I know you are cleverer than that."

"That little shit is supposed to be _below_ me!" screamed Katsuki angrily. "He was always below me in middle school, within my shadow, and now he's the fucking record holder for U.A's practical exam. I don't know what happened to cause this, and I don't know why he hasn't told me about his Quirk or watch or _whatever_, but I don't care! I'm going to _squash_ him the instant I'm outta here-"

"That's enough!" said Recovery Girl sternly, and Katsuki clenched his teeth shut. Even if the old hag was being annoying as shit, she was still a teacher. "You ought to learn to control your temper. Anger is a powerful driving force as long as you are in charge of it. As soon as it becomes the other way around, you've lost the battle."

The blond frowned, momentarily keeping silent as he pondered her words.

Recovery Girl saw her advantage and pressed it. "What shall stop a villain with powers like Kirihara's getting the better of you if and when you fight one?" she challenged. "If you remain calm and rational, you won't lose against him as easily. I can guarantee you that."

"As for Kirihara being the record holder for the practical…well, it wasn't as if you lost to him completely. After all, you had more villain points than he did. Achieving seventy-seven points is no easy feat, I can assure you. Don't be blind to your achievements, Bakugou. Just remember that you aren't the only one who is training every day to become the best hero they can be."

With that, she left the room, leaving Katsuki to his tumultuous thoughts.

* * *

After the Battle Training was over, the girls rendezvoused to the changing rooms, talking aimlessly among themselves. However, Ashido, in sharp contrast to her usual sunny behaviour, was utterly traumatised. Her disgusting pervert partner had somehow managed to manoeuvre his head under her bust during their match- and by virtue of his Quirk, it had stuck there. It had taken a long time to separate Mineta from her costume, and he had taken full advantage of that by sticking his face up her breasts in the most obscene manner he could.

From the rather frightening glares aimed at Mineta from the normally cheerful Kirishima and the normally languid Kirihara, Itsuka suspected that the dwarf had made it to the top of their shit lists. This was okay with her; she loathed Mineta as much as they and presumably the rest of the class did.

"Ashido-chan, cheer up," Asui rubbed her back soothingly from her right. Itsuka sympathetically did the same from her left.

"Mineta's an idiot," grumbled Jirou from behind them. Itsuka surmised that this was probably her own way of comforting Ashido. "Perverts like him must be condemned."

"Agreed," said Uraraka heatedly. "Hopefully none of the other guys are like that…"

"But speaking of boys…" said the invisible girl, Hagakure, "who do you think are the standouts?"

Ashido lifted her head at this. "You mean who's hot and who's not?"

"Well, that too!" said Hagakure cheerfully. Ashido's spirits seemed to lift a little at this, which did not surprise Itsuka.

"How improper," said Yaoyorozu, wrinkling her nose. "I shall have no part in this debate."

"Oh, lighten up, Yaomomo!"

"Y-Yaomomo?!"

"Your last name is too long," Hagakure informed her before turning back to the others. "But anyway, who do you think are the standouts? If it comes to Quirks, it has to be Kirihara, don't you think?"

"Yeah, Kirihara's Quirk is _so_ strong," said Uraraka. "There's literally nothing he can't do!"

"Kirihara-san was instrumental in beating Bakugou-san and Todoroki-san," agreed Yaoyorozu. "Though it seems he has to tap some sort of watch on his left wrist every single time he transforms… I don't think it's a Quirk that's responsible for all of his alterations in form."

Ashido and Itsuka exchanged meaningful glances at this. Though the latter suspected that Kirihara would, more likely than not, reveal the true origin of his powers to the class in due time (if Yaoyorozu didn't figure it out first), she did not speak. It wasn't her secret to tell.

"Wait, wait," said Hagakure, "you think it's a _device_ that's letting him do that?! Like a man-made thing?" She sounded shocked by the whole idea.

"Well, it does sound ridiculous," admitted Yaoyorozu. "We can simply ask him when we arrive at the opportunity."

"Moving on from his aliens, he's not all that bad-looking, either," said Jirou thoughtfully. "I didn't think anyone could pull off Super Saiyan hair in real life, but Kirihara can, and really well."

"Kirishima's hair is also really cool, isn't it?" asked Uraraka. "How do he and Kirihara even maintain that kind of hairstyle?"

"With tons of hair gel, I guess?" snorted Ashido, though she knew full well that Kirihara had not used a single drop of hair gel in his life. "Kirishima dyes it too."

"Ooh, ooh," said Hagakure, "do you think Todoroki also dyes his hair?"

"Maybe," said Asui, putting a finger to her lips. "But isn't half-red and half-white hair a bit of a bother to dye? I think it's natural; it would become unnecessarily difficult to maintain that sort of colour."

"But if we're talking about strength, Todoroki is crazy strong, too," said Itsuka, shuddering at the memory of the boy freezing the building as he had. "In terms of brute force, I think he's only second to Kirihara-kun, and that too only because of Rath."

The girls all chuckled loudly at the mention of the tiger-like alien. Far away, a certain white-haired boy sneezed loudly.

"_It was too big for yer _stomach_ to chew!_" imitated Ashido, waggling her eyebrows, and Uraraka let out a _pfft_ of laughter.

"Anyway, Todoroki and Rath aside, what about Bakugou?" asked Jirou. "He's not _un_attractive, but a bit too angry for anyone to handle, right?" The girls all nodded in agreement.

"Bakugou would be more desirable if he didn't frown and snarl all the time," Ashido grimaced, her mood undoubtedly restored. "He curses so much, too!"

"He seems a bit too angry and abusive to ever be popular as a hero," Asui said bluntly.

"Hopefully he tones it down by the end of the year…" murmured Itsuka.

The sound of the bell startled all of them and sent them scurrying back to class.

* * *

**Hey guys, what's crackin'**

**I'd like to apologize for the late update, but now since finals are over I can start doing so more regularly than usual.**

**Rath is one of my favourite aliens and no one can convince me that he isn't a badass.**

**Please leave a review if you liked the story or want to provide some advice. Just please try not to include criticism that isn't constructive in some way.**

**Until next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six\- Interlude**

The Support Department at U.A was easily one of the most chaotic ones there, bar the Hero Course itself. It was also the most selective and challenging department, considering the students would have to cope with a severe workload that consisted of designing and improving costumes, as well as figuring out why certain costumes were made in certain ways, more often than not on their own. Many would inevitably end up dropping out, unable to cope with the pressure, nor U.A's high standard of excellence. However, more often than not, it would witness (and even encourage) the rise of mad geniuses who would go on to revolutionise the world with their creations.

An example of such a mad genius was Mei Hatsume. In her time at U.A's Support Department, she'd already made over fifty gadgets, each unique and powerful in their own way. And this wasn't counting the failed attempts. Or the ones that only worked for a few seconds before exploding, which numbered in the hundreds.

When she had found out about the Omnitrix (Power Loader had told the class about it on the same day of All Might's debut), she had been _ecstatic_. This was the pinnacle of innovation- a device that rewrote a person's genetic code to grant them a variety of powers that even exceeded traditional Quirks! The possibilities of what they could do with it were nigh limitless!

While she would be _completely_ fine with abducting its wielder, Kirihara, and bringing him to Power Loader's lab for some testing (read: taking the watch apart and maybe keeping it for herself to possibly improve it), she found herself unable to for exactly three reasons: one- Power Loader would disapprove and might even ban her from his lab, two- Kirihara was probably more than capable of stopping her abduction of him, and three- her classmates all wanted to do the exact same thing.

So, she was forced to resort to something she rarely ever did- asking him nicely.

Kirihara was more than a little sceptical. In fact, he was probably ready to say something along the lines of 'Fuck you and the horse you rode in on', but after she promised him (lied to him) that she wouldn't do anything other than take some non-invasive scans and probably make him transform into some aliens just to see the effect it would have on his DNA, he agreed to take some time off from his evening and accompany her to the lab.

Where Power Loader bluntly informed her that he would be watching her every move. There went her secret plan of operating on the Omnitrix.

Kirihara, however, was surprisingly accommodating on every other matter. Yes, he _had_ flatly refused to let her open up the watch and such, but when she asked him to transform into Fasttrack, and then Rath, with several electrodes and wires connected to his torso and his Omnitrix, he did so without complaining.

"W-wow," said Mei, lost for words. "Kirihara's DNA has been almost completely overwritten. Hmm, perhaps that's why it has the timeout function; remaining too long in alien form could potentially mutate his cells permanently."

Kirihara, or rather Fasttrack, looked startled. Apparently, he hadn't realized the benefits of working with the Support Department.

As Fasttrack, his metabolism was off the charts. Which really wasn't surprising, but it was no less fascinating for it. His brain activity, according to the EEG, was very much like a normal human's, but when the CT scan came back, she almost hacked up her digestive fluids.

"Looks like you have two hearts as Fasttrack, Kirihara-kun," she managed to say, looking at the two grey spheres hanging either side of a black sternum and nestled between pale two-lobed lungs.

"I have _what_," asked Kirihara, who by now had transformed back to human form, his voice strangled.

"That makes sense in theory," admitted Power Loader. "His metabolism is extremely high and he needs a high oxygen supply to run as fast as he does. Two hearts mean faster oxygen and nutrient supply, and there's no danger of a blood pressure overload, considering how much thicker his arteries and veins seem to be. It's all so convenient. And his lungs are each two-lobed, unlike our lungs, which have three lobes on the right and two on the left. This makes more space for the second heart, and at the same time, his lungs may also expand significantly more than ours considering his diaphragm and intercostals are far more flexible, giving him a greater oxygen supply…"

Kirihara didn't look any less freaked out, and Mei honestly couldn't blame him. But on the other hand, it was so fascinating! Biology wasn't really her field, but still!

This went on for a few minutes before Power Loader finally called an end to it. "If you can come any time soon, we'll work on some other aliens," Mei told the white-haired boy.

He smirked. "Glad to be working with you, Hatsume."

Their collaborations, much to her sensei's apparent surprise, didn't end there. Granted, even she had not expected Kirihara to show up at the lab by himself- she had been planning to coerce him to come- but hey, if he was actually going to arrive at the lab without external influence she wasn't going to complain. This led to other amazing discoveries, such as Swampfire being capable of photosynthesis and that Big Chill was oviparous, which meant that he laid eggs. Which technically made him a hermaphrodite. Mei didn't know what to make of that.

Soon, he had even started helping her with her babies, and while normally she would have objected, she stopped once he revealed an alien that had immediately grown to become one of her favourites; the biotechnological marvel he called Upgrade. As one could infer from the name, he upgraded technology to the point where it could accomplish feats leagues beyond what it usually could.

For example, when he exerted Upgrade's influence on her jetpack, or her Baby #23, it was modified into a freaking aeroplane that could literally shoot missiles and fly for hours at a time with increased manoeuvrability and control. She had nearly had an aneurysm from excitement; if she could isolate some of Upgrade's cells, she could immediately solve her main problems- power and durability.

The problem was actually doing it. When she'd asked Kirihara whether he could detach Upgrade's cells voluntarily, he'd said that yes, he could, but he would have to remain in his Upgrade form to control them. If he transformed back, they would simply remain in stasis. Undaunted by this, she tried integrating his nanotechnology (with Power Loader's help) into one of her babies; specifically, her Baby #98, the power suit, and programming the nanites herself, forcing them to activate. Much to Kirihara's surprise, it actually _worked_. Upgrade's nanites were fused permanently with the suit, which made it _better_ and more efficient, not to mention without the tendency to rotate its top half. It could now not only increase a person's strength manifold, but it could also let them fly, shoot lasers and analyse someone's fight pattern.

Mei had celebrated by grabbing Kirihara and leading him in an impromptu dance. Which ended ten seconds later once she noticed Power Loader glaring at her pointedly.

As soon as her classmates heard about this, they all began chasing Kirihara like rabid dogs, begging him to transform into Upgrade and let them take his cells. He rebuffed them immediately, with some help from his friends. ("At least Hatsume had had the decency of asking nicely," he'd huffed reportedly.) However, he later gave in, even letting them grow some of his naturally-occurring nanites in a culture, developing a modified, computer-controlled strain of his cells. Now, this year's Support Group had technology right out of a Marvel movie, miles beyond whatever even their seniors had accomplished. And it was all due to Kirihara, someone who wasn't even in the Support Course.

Power Loader was seemingly bothered by that. But who cared if she could build babies that could topple mountains and break buildings?

**Naruhata District, 9:00 pm, the 7****th**** of April 20XX**

"It is I, the man who treats all women respectfully, the Crawler!"

Koichi Haimawari, twenty-three years old, gave a yell that he thought sounded heroic as he delivered a solid punch to the last of the Sturm und Drang brothers, the fat one who always wore the panties that the three stripped off of their targets. He grinned, shaking his wrist slightly. Being a hero felt great!

Well, not that he was actually a hero…more accurately, he was a vigilante- a person who wasn't a licensed hero but did the work of a hero anyhow. An illegal Hero, one could surmise. He was also part of the three-person team called the Naruhata Vigilantes- himself, Pop Step and Knuckleduster.

Ever since the Trigger drug empire had been (mostly) abolished in Naruhata, they'd devoted most of their time to their personal lives before going back to regular vigilantism. This had resulted in Koichi finally finishing his classes, improving his skills and- best of all- becoming a couple with Pop. Or more accurately, Kazuho. Knuckleduster had quit being a vigilante, having wanted to spend some more time with his daughter. He'd left the team giving Koichi and Kazuho his blessing.

Now, the two of them patrolled Naruhata by themselves, like they had when Knuckleduster had left for Hong Kong to pursue leads related to Trigger. Only this time, they didn't need Captain Celebrity to help them out every time they landed in a pinch. They could take out even high-level villains on their own, especially since Koichi's blast range had improved immensely and Pop had taken up taekwondo to maximize her potential.

"Hmm," said Pop Step, kneeling down and checking the Sturm und Drang brothers for injuries and potential Trigger use. It wasn't common nowadays, but it was still not as low as they would like. "Nothing they need a hospital for, and their tongues are clean. Let's go back, Crawler."

"Sure, Pop," said Koichi, smiling beneath his mask. To the terrified, but mostly disgusted college girls, he merely gave a wave. "Signing off for now, Pop Step and the Crawler!"

As he flew off with Pop at his heels, he heard behind him, "I thought his name was the Cruller?"

Koichi groaned loudly as Pop started to laugh loudly. "T-they're still getting your name wrong, huh Koichi?" she teased once they landed in a secluded area near his penthouse.

"I don't even understand why," grumbled the black-haired man. "It's the _Crawler_! God, what does Cruller even _mean_? Crawler actually makes sense, not to mention it sounds cooler."

"How does it make sense?" smiled Pop as they began to walk towards his house. They had a live show tomorrow and they needed some shut-eye. "You hardly just move on the ground anymore. You can fly. And shoot invisible bullets. Frankly, Koichi, I don't think Crawler even fits you anymore. Ever considered just changing your name outright?"

"I already did that from Nice Guy," pointed out Koichi. "It's better if people just know me as the Crawler."

Pop sweat-dropped. "Uh, Koichi, they _don't_ actually know you as the Crawler…"

"Hey!"

She laughed again, even as she took off her mask and jumped up, high into the sky, higher than was actually necessary to get to the penthouse. Koichi was about to follow when he heard a loud crash, followed by what sounded like glass shattering. His instincts fired, telling him something was wrong. Calling out a "Follow me!" to his girlfriend, Koichi ran forward and jumped, activating his Quirk. He flew over with practised ease over to where he'd heard the sound, only to see a ten-foot, purple _Godzilla_ screech as it demolished a car with its claws.

'_Seriously, a fucking dinosaur?!'_ yelled Koichi mentally. He could hear a slight tinkling every time it (he? She?) moved, and surmised that it was made of some sort of diamond or crystal. '_What's next, a T-Rex?'_

Still, he wasn't about to let this thing destroy anything else. This was his town and he needed to protect it. Praying that some heroes would be alerted soon anyway, Koichi pulled up his mask and dived downward.

"What the heck is that?!" yelled Pop overhead before landing beside him. Koichi grimaced in reply before yelling. "Oi, Godzilla!" The dinosaur turned slowly, blinking at him with golden eyes. Koichi shivered. "Um, I don't know you but could you please stop wrecking the-"

"GRAAH!" the monster screamed, charging forward to attack.

"Guess we're doing this the hard way!" Koichi gritted his teeth, taking flight once more and narrowly avoiding a savage swipe from diamond claws. The dinosaur didn't let up, however- it simply chose a new target. Pop shrieked as it went for her, leaping up as fast as she could.

"He's definitely a Trigger guy!" she shouted. He agreed with her, not that he voiced it out loud.

'_How do we deal with this?!'_ thought Koichi to himself frantically. _'Lure him into an alley? Maybe tire him out? Surely the Trigger'll wear off after some time… Fuck, here he comes!'_

"AHHH!" he yelled, flying above as Godzilla tore a massive hole in a hopefully empty building with a single punch. It wasn't as tall as the actual thing of course, but it was big enough to give him a headache just by looking at it. Not to mention that it was made of the hardest substance on Earth.

He tried hitting it with some of his invisible bullets, but it did zip. All it did was annoy Godzilla and draw its attention towards him. Which is exactly what Pop had wanted.

"Haaah!" she bellowed a war cry, axe-kicking Godzilla with a dense _thud_ as she landed to take advantage of the opening provided, only to rebound painfully with her leg sickeningly _bending the wrong way_. Koichi almost retched at the sight, flying up to catch her as the monster roared horribly, still looking more annoyed than anything else.

"Ah…" Pop ground out, tears streaming from her eyes as she clutched Koichi's arm tightly in a white-knuckled grip. He couldn't help but accelerate at that, going faster until he touched down as gently as he could on top of a building. Her slender leg was viciously broken, her kneecap shattered and tibia poking out of its back.

Koichi had to restrain himself from crying at the sight of his girlfriend so badly injured. Eventually, to his credit, he regained enough of his mental faculties to pull out his phone and call an ambulance. Godzilla had apparently not forgotten them, screaming as he pounded the building they were upon. Thankfully, his hits weren't as strong as before. Maybe he was already tired as a side-effect of his Quirk….

That being said, Koichi was _not_ going to let him do whatever the fuck he wanted.

"Stay here," he murmured. "I'll handle Godzilla."

"Koichi, no," Pop pleaded, her tears wetting his costume. "We can't beat him, not without the Captain or the geezer. We have to wait for help."

Koichi gritted his teeth. Help, it seemed, would have to come for them…

Suddenly, Godzilla started howling in pain as a loud, _loud_ screech erupted out of nowhere. It was unholy with how high-pitched it was and seemed to be the result of another's Quirk. Perhaps help had arrived, after all? Koichi peered down the building in surprise, wincing at the sight of the diamond-bodied creature writhing in pain. What looked like a humanoid figure in a form-fitting grey spacesuit of some sort was the one firing the sonic pulse at him.

So, that was the Godzilla's weakness? High-pitched sound? Well, it made sense in theory. Sound waves, if of a high enough frequency, were capable of shattering rocks. And diamond, in essence, was just very hard rock.

Cracks appeared on the creature's smooth skin, which was really the final straw. It fell slowly and ungracefully onto the underlying black asphalt, through which spread spider-web-like cracks as a response.

At the same time, another person in a form-fitting spacesuit dropped out of _fucking_ nowhere onto the building they were upon. Koichi shrieked in surprise, but the man (it seemed like a man) ignored him in favour of tending to the now-unconscious Pop. He extended his arms, and immediately she began glowing with blue light, her tightly-contorted face relaxing slowly as her leg started healing of its own accord.

Koichi was utterly gobsmacked. "Dude," he managed. "What the hell sorta Quirk is _that_?!"

The person removed his helmet, revealing a man (like Koichi had supposed) with fair skin, long black hair and distinctly Caucasian features. With a wide grin, he explained. "My Quirk's called Bonesetter. Lets me heal any broken bones instantly no matter how severe the break unless they've been broken for over an hour or the broken bone in question is my own. Of course, her muscle is still torn and requires bandaging, and I promise we'll tend to her. But that's not why I'm here."

Koichi furrowed his eyebrows. "Who's _we_? Who are you guys?"

"Wait a sec," the Caucasian tapped an earpiece of some sort. "Uh, yeah, the two of them are okay…well, the one called Pop Step got a broken bone from kicking it but it's healed now…yeah, we're lucky that the Anthrosaur was only a baby. See you in a bit, uncle," he spoke in English.

"Anthrosaur?" echoed a lost Koichi.

"Basically, they're diamond versions of Godzilla from the planet Petropia," explained the other man, switching to flawless Japanese once more. "I mean, normally they're like fifty metres tall, but this one was just a baby, so we got lucky. Didn't think it would get ejected on Earth, of all planets. What're the odds, eh?"

"Petropia? _Baby_? _Ejected_?!" spluttered Koichi. The man winced. "Yeah, I'm not making any sense, huh? Well, I'll start simple. The name's Joel. Joel Tennyson." In Japanese, it sounded like _Jo-ay-ru Ten-nii-shon._

"I'm part of an intergalactic peacekeeping organization called the Plumbers. We do work all around the Milky Way, and this particular mission involved getting this baby Anthrosaur back to its home planet, Petropia."

Koichi felt dizzy. "This is a dream, and I'm gonna wake up anytime now, right?" he mumbled faintly.

"I don't think so, kid," grinned Joel. "Anyway, gotta say I was pretty impressed with the way you handled that thing. I mean, you had like the worst possible Quirks to take it on, and you've had no formal Hero training, but you _still_ held it off for over half a minute. Seriously, do you have _any_ idea how many people could've done that?"

"No," said the black-haired Japanese man bluntly.

"Fair enough," Joel scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Anyway, my point is, I was impressed. The Plumbers could use people like you and your girlfriend in their ranks."

Koichi stilled. "Wait, what?"

"Oh, come on, you literally do Hero work without getting paid for it." Joel waved his hands empathetically. "You do realize that the number of Heroes who'll willingly do work pro bono is lower than the number of fingers I have on my hands? You're selfless and have potential, and those qualities apply to Miss Pop Step as well."

Koichi suddenly realized what this stranger was about to say.

"How about it, kid? Wanna be a Plumber?"

.

.

.

* * *

**Firstly, I would like to apologize for the shortness of the chapter. Terrible writer's block and indecision about how to proceed, along with life in general, rendered me incapable of putting about better content. However, I promise you a monster of a chapter in Chapter Seven, considering it is the USJ Arc!**

**For those of you still patient enough to read my story, thank you very much. I can't promise the uploads will be frequent, but they will be consistent. While I understand some of you may want to read more of my content, please understand I have a life outside of Fan Fiction and have several other obligations to fulfil. That being said, I really do appreciate the fact that you're taking out the time to read my work, and I _will_ try and be more frequent with my updates and give out longer and longer chapters.**

**If you have any suggestions, some criticism and/or appreciation, please leave a review or favourite/follow my story, or do all three if you like :)**

**To the reviewer who requested some original content, I'm afraid you will have to wait until the Sports Festival for that. It is also when Kyosuke's character development shall come about in a major fashion, and one of his most apparent flaws improved, at least to an extent, so please continue reading if you are interested! **

**Thank you, and take care.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter** **Seven**

When Kyosuke came into school exactly a week after All Might's debut class, he had expected a relatively quiet day wherein he would study, make notes, jot down his homework, walk home with his three friends, do said homework, train, mess with the Omnitrix a little and sleep; the same schedule he had been following since the weekend.

He had _not_ expected Aizawa-sensei to say, first thing in the morning, with his usual dull expression on his face, "You won't be having your study periods beyond the third period today. We will be doing a special disaster training class on off-campus grounds. That also means you have to wear either your hero costumes or gym clothes- I don't care which."

Kyosuke was ecstatic, as were most of his classmates. Disaster training sounded amazing, and what was more it was one of the most important things he would have to learn during his time in U.A. He would also not mind wearing his hero costume again in the least.

"Also," the man continued, walking toward his sleeping bag. "During the remaining time you have with me, right now, you're going to decide on a class representative."

There was a stunned silence, before Uraraka (and a few other students) tearfully burst out into expostulations on how normal an activity they were doing, for once. Kyosuke couldn't blame them- what with All Might's battle training and Aizawa's Quirk Assessment Test, normal and school-like activities were hard to come by in U.A.

"I don't care how you do it," said Aizawa as he climbed into his sleeping bag. "It just has to be done by the end of my homeroom." With that, he sunk into a seemingly deep sleep as the class erupted into noise.

"I nominate myself!" yelled Kaminari excitedly, thrusting a fist into the air.

"Hey! If Kaminari gets to nominate himself, I nominate myself too!" complained Jirou.

"We should put it to a vote!" shouted Iida, getting up and raising a hand into the air in his robotic fashion. "The position of class representative is an exalted and honourable post that should be bestowed upon the best candidate by none other than the rest of the class! I say we each vote and have the one with the most votes become the class rep."

Nobody argued with Iida's statement, though several pointed out that his hand was raised the highest amongst everyone's in the class. Kyosuke couldn't help but sigh. How Aizawa-sensei could sleep through all of that, he did not know.

'_Class rep, huh?'_ he thought as he reached for a chit that Iida was passing to him. He grinned as he caught Ashido's eye, who was also smiling widely. He knew who she had in mind, and she knew that he was thinking of the same person.

"_Kendou_," she mouthed silently. Kyosuke nodded, stealing a glance at his orange-haired friend, who was painstakingly outlining a neat set of kanji on her chit. He looked at Kirishima behind him, who gave him a thumbs-up before mouthing "_Kendou_," at him, as Ashido had. Kyosuke quickly scrawled Kendou's name in black ink before neatly dropping it in the basket Iida was handing out.

It had been an obvious choice from the start. Kendou was the most responsible one in their group of four, always the one to reel in the other two if they got too excited, the calm and level head behind their boisterous exuberance. Kyosuke smiled slightly as the votes were counted.

'_I'm sure that Kendou can make it if everyone votes for themselves like I think they will….'_

The votes were tallied and written on the board, and Kyosuke felt his jaw drop.

Not because Kendou hadn't come in first, because she had. His friend was openly shocked as her name was displayed on the top of the list with an overwhelming four votes- obviously, she must have voted for herself. Not because Yaoyorozu was second with three votes- had he not been biased towards Kendou, he would have probably voted for her (or maybe Iida, but he was a bit too stiff for his liking).

It was because he was _third_, with _two_ _votes_ next to his name that _weren't his own_. Who on _Earth_ would have voted for him, of all people?

He looked around suspiciously, once, twice, thrice, but he saw nothing. Well, it didn't matter anyhow. He wouldn't have to be class rep or even the vice.

"So that settles it, then," came Aizawa's dry voice. How had he woken up so fast? "Kendou is class rep. Yaoyorozu is her vice."

He could see Kendou glowing a brilliant red and tried not to smile.

* * *

"You guys didn't have to vote for me!" Kendou wailed into her hands in the cafeteria during recess.

"Who said we voted for you?" countered Kyosuke, before ducking behind his tray of rice and meatballs as Kendou shot him a dirty look. "Who else would it have been?"

Ashido frowned at the other girl. "You don't look very enthusiastic. Didn't you vote for yourself?"

Kendou shook her head, now blushing slightly out of embarrassment. "I… voted for Kirihara-kun."

Kyosuke choked on a mouthful of rice, coughing violently as Kirishima patted his back, laughing loudly. "You _what_. Why?"

"Because you're responsible and intelligent!" argued Kendou, now fully red once more. Ashido smirked in amusement as she shamelessly stole sips from her friend's black coffee. Kyosuke frowned in thought, now having fully regained his composure. "That I may be, but I'm too much of a lone wolf. I'd make a terrible class rep," he assured, biting into a meatball and savouring the flavour. Lunch Rush's cooking just couldn't be beaten.

"Hmm, maybe not a _terrible _one," said Ashido, "but I'd still pick Kendou over Kirihara any day. Uh, no offence, Kirihara…"

"None taken," he hastened to say. "I'd do the same." Kendou just glowed further at that.

The four sat in silence for a while, before Kirishima picked up the conversation again. "Man, Lunch Rush's cooking is just too good." This was met by a series of agreements.

"Do you think the way he can cook such great food from cheap ingredients has something to do with his Quirk?" wondered Ashido.

"No," said Kendou, her eyes sparkling, "it is just skill. Lunch Rush's Quirk has nothing to do with his talents; it just helps him select fresh ingredients and experiment with new recipes."

"Wait, you know Lunch Rush's Quirk?" asked Kyosuke in surprise.

"Oh, yeah," said the orange-haired girl. "So, it goes like this…"

_Lunch Rush! Quirk: Scent! He is equipped with a powerful sense of smell that would put Hound Dog's to shame! However, he cannot control it, and thus he has to wear a mask to regulate it! Now, he has fine-tuned his Quirk to help him select the best ingredients and cook the best recipes! It's also sometimes useful in forensic analysis!_

"Huh," was all Kyosuke had to say to that.

The sudden wailing of an alarm jolted them out of their conversation. Instantly, their eyes widened in horror- only one thing could have triggered the alarm.

U.A's boundaries had been breached by someone unauthorized.

Kyosuke was already manipulating his Omnitrix, trying to find Big Chill's hologram and investigate even as students panicked and rushed forward, trying to exit the door via the emergency exit. However, Kendou grabbed his arm, stopping him as he was about to slap down the watch face. "Kirihara-kun, no! We have to stop this ruckus, first!"

"Let me find the source of the alarm!" said Kyosuke. Kendou shook her head sternly. "I can't just let you rush off on your own."

Reluctantly, he lowered the watch. The girl stepped forward, her hands enlarging into gigantic versions of themselves, and clapped.

The noise generated was so sharp and loud that it quieted the ruckus immediately.

"All of you, remain calm!" Kendou shouted authoritatively. "The commotion outside is being dealt with as we speak!" She was right- Aizawa and Present Mic were visible at the gates. "There is no need to panic!"

Kyosuke smiled in wonder- how had Kendou ever doubted herself? This was prime leadership quality she was displaying. Slowly, the crowd dispersed, muttering among themselves.

Ashido draped herself on her back. "And you were mad at us for electing you class rep earlier. Look at you- you're gonna be just fine."

'_She really will,'_ thought Kyosuke fondly as Kendou blushed once more. _'She really will.'_

* * *

The third period came, and Kyosuke accompanied Kirishima to the boy's lockers to change into their hero costumes. After doing so, they hurried back to the main plaza where the bus was waiting for them.

Kirishima grinned as they formed a line, as directed by Kendou and Yaoyorozu. "Man, I can't wait for disaster training! It's gonna be lit, I bet!"

Kendou smiled slightly as she joined them, but said nothing. Ashido was very much the opposite of her orange-haired friend- she was chatting non-stop with Sero and Kaminari, the two boys seemingly just as energetic and manic as the pink girl. Kirishima was talking with Iida about where they could be going- on hearing this conversation, Ashido didn't hesitate to join in, along with Kaminari and Sero. "It's off-campus, after all…oh, oh, how about _that_ place..." Kendou seemed interested as well, joining in from time to time to give her input.

The bus ride continued in this vein for a few minutes, until Kaminari broke off to say, "So, yeah, this is all very cool, but Kirihara, I've been dying to find out what your Quirk is."

Kyosuke blinked, suddenly feeling several eyes upon him. He shifted slightly under Kaminari's yellow gaze, mildly uncomfortable. "I…didn't think you would be curious."

"How could we not be, dude? You kicked Bakugou's ass, and Todoroki went down real fast, too!" Kyosuke winced at that, his eyes shifting to Bakugou, who simply snorted. "His ass will be the one kicked, next time."

The white-haired boy narrowed his eyes- he had expected Bakugou to lose his temper entirely. This was his equivalent of being completely unruffled. Come to think of it, he'd been this way ever since the battle training. Had his loss cooled him down somewhat? If so, it was good for him.

"I admit, I am curious too, ribbit," came a voice behind him. He turned to see Tsuyu Asui watching him with an unreadable expression on her face, tapping her chin meditatively. "Though, Kirihara-chan,"- _'-chan?'_ thought Kyosuke, surprised- "is it really a Quirk, at all?"

"What makes you say that Asui?" asked Kyosuke.

"Tsuyu is fine, Kirihara-chan, ribbit. And I couldn't help but notice that you tap your wrist every time you turn into an alien, and now that I have the opportunity to look at it closely, I can see that you have some sort of device on it, ribbit." She peered at the Omnitrix curiously. "What is it, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't mind…. Tsuyu," said Kyosuke, eliciting a smile from the frog-like girl. He also couldn't help but notice that Yaoyorozu and Uraraka- who were sitting next to each other- were staring at him intently. Bakugou was quiet, but his eyes were trained keenly on his back. Jirou and Tokoyami had ceased their conversation. Not to mention Sero, Kaminari and Asui, who had not stopped their scrutiny of him. The entire class had gone silent, in essentials.

'_Looks like there's no hiding my powers any longer.'_

"This device is called the Omnitrix," he said, raising his voice so that the entire class- who had gone silent- could listen. "It allows me to turn into ten different aliens by manipulating the dial like so-"

He demonstrated by turning the dial several times before slapping down on the alien he wanted.

"_**Fasttrack!"**_

The blue-black mammalian creature raised his hands triumphantly, causing wide-eyed stares across the bus. "Do you name all of your aliens?" asked Sero interestedly.

"Yeah, and this one can go really fast," said Fasttrack. "I'd demonstrate, but it wouldn't be such a good idea on a bus…." He tapped the Omnitrix symbol on his chest, transforming into his human form with a green flash.

"So, it's _not_ a Quirk," said Kaminari, wide-eyed. "How did you even _get_ that thing?"

Kyosuke had been about to say something along the lines of, "That's for me to know and you to find out," but immediately after the blond's question-

"We're here," said Aizawa-sensei, as the bus halted, "shut up and come down, now."

The class, all muttering among themselves, filed out, seemingly having forgotten temporarily about the Omnitrix. This was fine with Kyosuke; he wasn't ready to tell them about Gyakusetsu-sensei yet. Not because he didn't trust them, but because they definitely wouldn't believe him. _'Maybe I can fabricate a story later…though it has to be an excellent story or Yaoyorozu and Iida would see it as nothing _but_ a story…'_ he thought to himself.

Standing in front of them was a gigantic glass dome of some sort, encapsulating what looked to be several pieces of scenery. Kyosuke could make out mountains, buildings, and even what looked like an extremely realistic depiction of a city-wide conflagration. Standing in front of the dome was a person in a spacesuit- the Space Hero: Thirteen, a famous Hero not only for their massive contribution to rescue but also for work related to supporting androgynous Heroes like themselves. While they weren't Kyosuke's favourite hero- that honour belonged to All Might- he respected them greatly. They were the reason for thousands of successful rescue missions, and the fabrication of new laws that protected and supported androgynous and transgender heroes (and people in general), after all.

"This totally reminds me of Universal Studios Japan, man," giggled Kirishima, who obviously couldn't wait to get started.

Aizawa-sensei approached them first, while everyone- most prominently Uraraka- promptly began to wax about Thirteen with gusto. He muttered something he couldn't quite catch, to which they simply held up three fingers. The raggedy man pinched the bridge of his nose irritably, before gesturing towards the group of chattering students, inviting them to take the stage.

Thirteen cleared their throat and began. "As all of you may know, I am the Space Hero: Thirteen. The most important part of being a Hero is not only the villains you defeat but the people you save. This building simulates every sort of disaster you can find, such as fires, landslides, avalanches, hurricanes and shipwrecks. I call it the Unforeseen Simulation Joint or the U.S.J!"

"So it really is Universal Studios Japan!" yelled several students excitedly.

"Now, I'd just like to say a few more words," said Thirteen, not without a hint of indulgence in their voice, as they led the students in the dome. "Even though you've been students for only four days, you've learned so much about your limits and your Quirks already. In Aizawa's Quirk Assessment Test, you learned your limits. In All Might's battle training, you learned what it meant to use that power on others. Now, I hope that I can teach you what it means to use your powers to _save_ people."

"Quirks are dangerous. Every villain attack that has happened has proved that. As heroes, we must learn what it means to use that power, when to use that power, and why we use that power. As easy as it is to harm or even kill, especially with Quirks like mine, Black Hole, we must also learn how to use these dangerous Quirks to save and preserve. That is our job as heroes."

The students went quiet at that. Then, Iida started clapping, a broad smile on his face. "Bravo! Bravo, Thirteen!" The students joined in quickly, Kyosuke included. Bakugou and Todoroki noticeably did not bother.

He stopped short, however, as an inky-black portal opened up in the middle of the dome. Kirishima, who was next to him, raised an eyebrow as several people emerged from it. "Has the training already started, sensei?"

Thirteen looked around before they make a noise of alarm. "Those guys…they're villains!"

"Thirteen, protect the students!" snarled Aizawa-sensei, snapping on his goggles and swinging down to engage in combat. "All of you, stay back!"

Kyosuke was frozen in shock. Villains. _Villains_ were attacking them. This was a villain attack. Oh god. Oh god. He tried to focus even as several started to panic, clearing his head and marshalling his thoughts. _'Deep breaths, deep breaths…'_

"Everyone, head for the exit!" Thirteen ordered, but even as the words left their lips, a portal of similar make and proportions as the first one blocked the door, preventing any of them from getting out.

"Oh…" sighed the inky swirling nothingness. Gaseous, perhaps plasma? Whatever it was, he certainly didn't want to touch it. Perhaps there was a solid body beneath all of that smoke?

No doubt thinking along similar lines as he, Bakugou lunged forward with a sharp cry, hand blazing with fire. The gas swirled as the villain responsible for it- or the villain that it constituted? -was not harmed in the slightest. Bakugou leapt back, snarling angrily.

"Oh dear, that was close," said the villain. "Good afternoon. We are the League of Villains, here to kill the Symbol of Peace, All Might. However, it seems that he is not among you, as of yet. That is unfortunate- it seems our information was flawed."

"Well, it doesn't matter. Now, children, I'm afraid your lives as heroes are now going to come at a painful end. You shall be separated from your allies, tortured and killed, and there shall be nothing you can do to prevent it."

'_A body, beneath that inky plasma,'_ thought Kyosuke to himself, his mind whirring fast and insanely calmly. He had succeeded in getting over, or at least momentarily suppressing his fear. _'He'd said, "Oh dear, that was close." That means there _is_ a body there, and Bakugou had been going to hit it! Luckily, I can be slightly faster than him- I can shove the villain away, if only temporarily.'_

"Not if I have anything to say about it, villain," growled Thirteen, advancing. The caps on their fingertips opened, a great force emerging from them and sucking in most of the swirling substance even as the villain howled.

For an instant- something _metal_ was exposed. Something that was ostensibly the villain's _body_.

'_There!'_

"Ah, Thirteen…" sneered the mist, even as it was sucked in. "You might have a powerful Quirk indeed, but in the end…you are a _rescuer_, not a battler."

A portal suddenly _opened_ behind Thirteen, and the gravitational force emerging from it- _Thirteen's own power_\- tore off a huge portion of their costume, leaving them severely wounded and exposing nothing but a disturbing emptiness. So, was Thirteen's entire body a Black Hole, after all, like several online theories speculated? Kyosuke's jaw dropped as the students nearest the Space Hero- Uraraka and Sero- knelt beside them, tears in their eyes.

"Your lack of battle experience is your undoing," finished the mist, sneering palpably. "Now, children…. BEGONE!"

"Not today!" screamed Kyosuke, slapping down on the watch face, ragerage_rage_ building up in him. How _dare_ this bastard do that to Thirteen!? He emerged from the verdant blaze as the same alien he'd transformed into in the bus, rushing forward at a speed enough to outrun a bullet train.

"_**FASTTRACK!" **_howled the mammalian alien, kicking the metal body beneath the mist with an audible _thud_, the villain squawking in surprise as it- or was it a he? It sounded like a he -was hurled away from them at massive speeds. The mist trailed alongside the body, proving Kyosuke's suspicions about the metal object beneath the mist being the villain's central system.

He turned around. "Everyone, are you all-" his voice trailed off abruptly. Everyone next to him had been teleported away already, the only people still near him being Bakugou, Shouji, Iida, Uraraka and Sero. Thirteen was also still present, though in no state to fight.

"Shit!" yelled the speedster, stomping the ground in frustration (the linoleum beneath him cracked). Bakugou looked angry as well, Shouji expressionless, while Uraraka and Sero merely seemed frightened. "I was too late!" he continued angrily.

"Calm down, Kirihara," said Shouji, the burly student walking forward towards him. Fasttrack took a deep breath, before kneeling beside Thirteen, who was somehow still alive and able to speak despite their horrifying injury.

"Sensei, what should we do?" he murmured. Thirteen made an effort to speak, their voice strained and uneven. "Where… is Aizawa?"

"Aizawa-sensei is fighting the villains," reported Shouji, his appendages stretching out impressively, eyes blinking at the ends of his many arms. "He looks okay….it also looks like all the students are safe."

"We…need to establish a connection with the school…we need to call for help…" Thirteen made an effort to raise their head. Fasttrack shook his head. "We can't do that- there's no one here who has a form of communication apparatus."

"The electric fucker does," said Bakugou unexpectedly. "Kirihara can fly over to him, try and get him to call for backup. Where is he?" He directed the question towards Shouji, who didn't say anything for a while until one of his appendages spoke. "He's in the mountains with Yaoyorozu and Jirou."

"But that's assuming the villains don't have something that's jamming communications," said Iida worriedly. "The alarm system didn't go off, either, so I think one of the villains is blocking contact with the school with some sort of electronics Quirk. Can we take that risk?" Bakugou looked a little pissed that Iida was apparently vetoing his plan, but thankfully let it slide.

"You're right. There is a villain who is blocking our communications; I can't get through myself. Iida, you're one of the fastest ones here. Can you run back to U.A and warn All Might?" asked Thirteen, who also apparently had communicators in their suit. Iida looked at them, shocked. "I can't just abandon all of you!"

"You have to!" said Fasttrack insistently. "Iida, _please_, that mist villain can come back at any moment!"

It was at this moment that Uraraka decided to intervene. "Kirihara-kun is faster, shouldn't he go instead?"

Iida winced, but Bakugou rounded on her with a sneer. "Don't be fucking stupid, Round Face. Glasses has the stamina and control to run long distances without fucking himself up, which Kirihara doesn't have. Besides, he'll be more useful here." No one failed to notice his lack of a nickname for Kyosuke.

"He's right," said Thirteen, gasping and groaning in pain. "Iida, please, go."

The black-haired boy nodded slowly, before saluting and rushing off at blinding speed.

"Now," said Fasttrack, hitting his Omnitrix and instantly growing slightly taller as fur became chitin and wings erupted from his back. "It's time to find out exactly why these ragtag villains have enough confidence to kill All Might like the mist guy said!"

* * *

Itsuka was drenched.

She had had the misfortune of getting transported to the Shipwreck Zone- the one place her Quirk was more or less useless in direct combat. Luckily, Asui had also been present and had saved her from a watery grave at the hands of a shark-like villain before lifting her on the ship. Decidedly less luckily, Mineta had also been transported to the Shipwreck Zone, and having been saved by Asui as well, was now leering at her soaked state in a lecherous manner.

It disturbed her greatly, and she was relieved when Asui smacked him with her tongue. "Stop it, Mineta-chan, you're making Kendou-chan uncomfortable."

"S-sorry…"

Itsuka mouthed her thanks to Asui, who responded with, "Call me Tsuyu."

"Now then…" she peered over the edge of the ship, only to see villains of almost every sort of aquatic Quirk snarling at her. One of them subsequently slammed his body onto its side, causing it to crack and wobble dangerously.

"Keh...!" she swore, trying to cover up her dread. She was the Class Representative- she couldn't panic because of some layabout villains. "This is going to be difficult."

"No need to fear, ribbit," said Tsuyu confidently. "I can handle them if things go south." Itsuka breathed deeply, drawing from the frog-like girl's calm to try and suppress her own trepidation.

Mineta rubbed his head before saying, "It's weird that Asui was brought here, don'tcha think? I mean, her Quirk is great for this environment. It's almost as if these guys don't know our Quirks- which is strange considering they _did_ know that All Might was going to be here."

"Now that you mention it, that _is_ strange," agreed Itsuka.

"We don't have the time to ponder this now, ribbit," warned Tsuyu as the ship was powerfully rocked once more. "What do you think we should do, Class Rep?

"Eek!" shrieked Mineta. "_We're all gonna die!_"

Itsuka frowned at him. "Okay, that's taking things a _little_ too far…"

Mineta ignored her. "I wish that I'd gotten to touch Yaoyorozu's boobs at least once before my death!" This did not help Itsuka's- and apparently also Tsuyu's- opinion of the dwarf one bit.

She peered over the edge once more, before a plan began to hatch in her head. Slowly and quietly, she began to detail it to her classmates, who listened silently. When she was done, Tsuyu smiled. "That could work, ribbit."

Mineta looked at her. "If you're going to pull that shit, you must be suicidal," he stated flatly.

Itsuka glared. "Do you want to get out of here or don't you?"

The dwarf just sighed. "Okay, fine!"

In retrospect, she didn't blame Mineta for thinking in that manner. Her plan was simple- she would jump down from the ship, use the move she'd used to quell the chaos in the hallway after the security breach (which she, now that she was thinking about it, suspected had something to do with the League of Villains) to generate a shockwave that would cause the water to disperse and recollect quickly, and subsequently swirl in a manner not unlike a tornado. At the same time, Tsuyu would grab her with her tongue, with Mineta hanging on to her, and jump, taking them both away. To complete the plan, Mineta would unleash a salvo of the balls on his head that would stick to and therefore restrain the villains.

It was definitely risky- a million things could go wrong. Her shockwave might not be strong enough. Tsuyu might be too late to catch her. Mineta's Quirk, for all they knew, might be deactivated by the water, despite his assurances that it wouldn't.

But it was the best plan they could think of. The best plan they had.

With a deep breath, Itsuka enlarged her hands and jumped into the air. One second, two seconds, three seconds….

She braced herself as she hurtled forward into the pond.

_Now!_

"Thunder Clap!"

_BOOM!_

With a tremendous burst of sound, the water imploded, more of it rushing inwards to make up for the change in pressure. As she had known it would, it created a rising, swirling vortex that snatched up all the villains in the pond and flung them around willy-nilly.

At the exact same time, she felt a long, rubbery tongue wrap around her waist and hoist her up. Mineta screamed in terror as he flung his balls around, the aquatic villains getting caught in their clutches and effectively getting trapped.

"Yes!" yelled Itsuka joyfully.

They landed in a shallower part of the pond, far away from the villains, just in time for their eyes to widen in horror and fear fester in their souls as they played witness to an _abomination_.

* * *

_Exactly one hour earlier_

'_What is _with_ the insane number of villains today?'_

Toshinori Yagi, better known as the Symbol of Peace, All Might, growled in irritation inwardly as he delivered a Missouri Smash to the head of a pink-skinned, grossly muscular villain- Trapezius Head Gear, he recognized him as- with a large smile on his face. Barely stopping to receive thanks from the family Trapezius had been keeping hostage, he sped ahead, aiming this time for another villain- this time someone with a Bison Quirk- who was terrorizing (or at least trying to) a small shopping plaza.

"Carolina…. **Smash**!" he yelled out, taking out the man instantly.

"All Might, All Might!" he heard a hero yelling through his earpiece. "The Rojo Gang is at Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall! They've already taken out Muramasa and Shell Fist…please, we need your help!"

Truly suspicious. Toshinori couldn't help but suspect ulterior motives at play.

'_Just what could these villains be trying to achieve?'_

No time to ponder, however. Time to go out there and be a Symbol of Peace.

* * *

Tomura Shigaraki peered at his comrade dispassionately. "What happened to you, Kurogiri?"

The formless villain chuckled. "I was blown back by a kick from the boy who can transform into all of those creatures. It's a shame- we were _warned_ about him and yet I underestimated his extraordinary Quirk. I should have warped him away immediately…. but it doesn't matter now. I've scattered all of them. They will die, even as the Symbol of Peace arrives."

"Good work, Kurogiri," laughed the pale man, apparently satisfied even though Kyosuke Kirihara had not been transported away like most of the students. "Will you look at that," he continued, amused as a blue, moth-like creature flew towards them from a great distance, followed by a blond boy using explosions from his hands to keep up, "it seems he isn't wasting any time. Send in the mini-bosses."

"Very well," acquiesced Kurogiri, knowing full well whom Tomura was referring to. At his command, a massive black portal opened up, and three monstrous people stepped out, all dressed in black and white and having skin painted white.

"Go, Circus Freaks," hissed Tomura. "Attack!"

They needed no prompting. With an animalistic war cry, they advanced with deadly intent.

Transformed into Big Chill, Kyosuke couldn't help but feel a sort of uplifting joy and delight at feeling the air caress his shoulders and see the ground pass beneath him, despite the urgency and danger surrounding them. Flying never got old, and that it was such a rare power among students and pro heroes alike made the experience all the sweeter and more valuable.

He was not distracted by the empowering feeling for long, however; his eyes narrowed as the mist villain opened another portal, this time heralding the appearance of three more people, each looking like circus performers that had gone through a zombie apocalypse.

He could see the supposed leader of the League of Villains a bit more clearly now. Were those _hands_ all over his arms and on his face?

Disturbed by the image, he focused on the zombified circus performers, who were now screaming frenetically and charging. Seamlessly, Big Chill blew out a stream of ice breath- the thinnest of the three countered by breathing out a column of green gas that broke through the cloud of vapour Big Chill was exhuming and headed straight for him and Bakugou.

"Ugh!" yelled Big Chill, flying upwards to avoid the attack. Bakugou, however, simply dodged to the side. "What is that, acid breath?"

The most muscular of the three- was that a dirty great _thumbnail_ on his head? -squawked in surprise. "H-How do you know 'is name?" he growled. The lean one smacked him on the head. "He was referring to my _Quirk_, dumbass!"

"A-Ahm sorry, Acid Breath," mumbled the muscle man contritely. Acid Breath just shook his head and braced himself before letting out another stream of gas. Big Chill, this time, was ready- hitting the Omnitrix symbol on his chest, his blue flesh rippled before turning into green organic matter.

"_**Swampfire!"**_

He swept his hands forward, flames shooting out and colliding with the gas, causing it to rise. Taking advantage of the opening provided, Bakugou lunged forward, nailing Acid Breath under the chin with a savage uppercut, slamming his jaw shut. Roaring, the muscle man charged him, only for Bakugou to brace himself and fire a gigantic explosion at him. He flew backwards and didn't get back up.

The sole female in the group shook her head angrily. "You idiots just can't get things done without me!" she yelled, her hair lengthening and advancing forward to wrap around Swampfire and Bakugou alike. Both of them grimaced as they were forced to their knees, astonished at the power behind the woman's Quirk.

"I am Frightwig," sneered the redheaded circus performer. "You're done for, students of U.A!"

Swampfire grinned, his hands lighting up once more. "No, _you're_ done for."

"What?!" shrieked Frightwig before screaming as her hair was burned away by the plant-like alien's flaming hands. Bakugou followed suit, his hands crackling with bright fireworks as he roared out in challenge.

"Your first mistake was underestimating us, woman!" he growled.

"No…no!" the woman backed away as Bakugou advanced, face full of intent. "NO!"

"And, it will be the last mistake you'll ever make. _Stun Grenade!_" howled the blond, an impressively large eruption of flame blooming from his palms and flinging the villainess away.

"Tch," sneered Bakugou as he adjusted his face mask. "That was just too easy."

_Acid Breath! Quirk: Acid Breath! He can expel his stomach acids from his gullet in the form of a nasty green gas that can corrode even metal and stone! However, he cannot control it, and therefore he has been rendered with nasty cases of halitosis, plague and acid reflux! That probably explains why he looks to be in a bad mood half the time!_

_Thumbskull! Quirk: Dumb Muscle! He has impressive strength but an extremely low IQ! He serves as the main muscle of the Circus Freaks, but he is simply too dumb to function without them by his side!_

_Frightwig! Quirk: Hair-Raising! Her hair is like a muscle- she can control it to attack and restrain her opponents, and given that each strand of her hair is like a muscle fibre, it's really difficult to get past her! However, like any other muscle, it may feel pain and fatigue, thus she may be weakened if her hair is attacked or overused! _

Swampfire peered at Bakugou, unimpressed. "'The last one you'll ever make,' really?"

"Shut up, Kirihara."

The plant-like alien snorted, amused…though he wasn't quite sure how he could snort; he didn't have a nose, after all. Well, it didn't matter, anyhow. They had bigger things to worry about.

Aizawa-sensei was still fighting off a large number of villains, without any signs of slowing. He obviously had his fight handled, and Kyosuke did not feel the need to help. He would just get in the Erasure Hero's way.

"Just look at this, Kurogiri," the pale leader was saying monotonously. "They took down our mini-bosses like it was nothing. Kids these days are so amazing. They're making the League of Villains look bad."

"Indeed, Tomura Shigaraki," said the mist villain, Kurogiri. It looked almost comical; the older and more mature villain acquiescing to the younger man. Shigaraki scratched his neck repeatedly, his expression unidentifiable due to the hand over his face. "No matter. It's time to bring out the final boss. Kurogiri, now!"

"Very well," deferred the shapeless man, opening a portal.

Swampfire's green eyes widened in shock as an _abomination_ stepped out, grossly muscular and black-skinned, with an exposed brain, a large beak and curved teeth within it. _Fear_ stole his heart at the sight of it, pounding and ostensible and seeping into his veins. This- this had to be it. This _thing_ had to be why the League was so confident about killing All Might. That creature was there to do it for them.

Shigaraki was undoubtedly grinning underneath his grisly mask, his words hissing through the air like poison-

"_Nomu_."

With a bestial screech, the monster was upon him, punching his stomach with a force that would have surely shattered his ribs, if not killed him, in his human form. Swampfire was much more durable than Kyosuke, of course, but even he was slammed away by the insane amount of power the Nomu was putting out. A thick yellow stream of sap and bile flew out from his mouth as he sailed through the air with no signs of landing anytime soon. He couldn't think, couldn't breathe- just pain, pain, _pain_ everywhere…

The U.S.J dome was approaching fast. Ten metres. Eight metres. Five metres.

The last coherent thought in his head was, '_Well, shit. I hope everyone'll make it out of here alright…'_

Then glass splintered, sunlight hit his face, pain bloomed across his back, and his world went dark.

* * *

Shouta was tiring.

He had known right from the start of the villain attack that this sort of conflict would be a bad fit for him. His style was more suited for one-on-one confrontations, wherein he would take out his opponent using sneak attacks and his Quirk, Erasure.

This time, however, he was attacking multiple people in plain sight, using his capture device and swift martial skills to take them out. For the time being, it was working; he'd put over half of the villains out of commission already. However, even as he vaulted over a brute's head and used his scarf to throw him against another villain, he was becoming a second slower, a touch weaker. It was a matter of time before he was overwhelmed.

Trying not to think about the implications of that last statement, he kicked aside another man, Erasure stripping him off his Quirk and rendering him helpless to his assault. He looked around, attention momentarily captured by the sight and sound of two men talking.

The first one was the shapeless mist-man from earlier, who seemed to be deferring to the other male. His skin looked dry and pale, and there were dismembered hands all over his body and his face. There was a hulking black beast next to the two of them, looking grotesque with its exposed brain, toothed beak and grossly muscular frame. It was quite still and blank, unlike the two men standing next to it.

"...didn't have to command Nomu to hit him _quite_ so hard, Tomura Shigaraki."

Shouta's eyes widened. Which one of his students had been hit? He caught sight of Bakugou, who had on an expression of utter fear and horror. It looked so out of place on the boy's face that it gave Shouta a mild headache. He mentally willed Bakugou to get the fuck out of their vicinity, and he was shocked when the boy actually did so. What had happened to make him act like that- to make him _look_ like that?

Kendou, Asui and Mineta were hiding in the pond, a safe distance away from the villains. They looked just as terrified as Bakugou had, and he honestly couldn't blame them

The pale man was snickering softly. "Kurogiri,"- Shouta mentally filed away the name- "when All Might shows up and is greeted by the sight of his student's dead body, it will make our victory all the sweeter. And it's just as well that it was the shapeshifter, don't you think?"

'_Shapeshifter- he must mean Kirihara,'_ thought Shouta. Of _course_ he would have gone out here and tried to take on a threat he didn't understand, didn't comprehend, didn't have the skills to _deal_ _with_! Shouta was going to have some _choice_ words for his student… if he survived, that was.

No time to waste- he leapt forward, Erasure burning a fierce red visible even behind his goggles. The pale man- Shigaraki- turned around even as the mist-man jerked back in alarm. Shouta swung, the other dodging with surprising speed. He didn't let up, however- he kept at it until he caught him on the temple with a hard elbow, his hair falling over his face.

"Erasure Hero," sneered Shigaraki, gripping Shouta's elbow tightly before he could pull it away. "Astoundingly capable you might be, but your stamina bar has dropped quite a bit, hasn't it? You're not used to grinding continuously. Besides, there are intervals where your hair falls over your face, obscuring your Quirk. This leaves room for _mine_."

The underground hero's eyes widened as his elbow started…rotting. Decomposing. That was really the only word for it. He leapt back, searing pain and blood trickling down it. Shigaraki chuckled, shaking his hands out. "Nomu. Get him."

The black monstrosity lunged forward in an instant, so quickly that its frame appeared to blur. Shouta grimaced and resisted the urge to cry out as it twisted his arm behind his back in a half-nelson before slamming his head on the earth. '_Erasure isn't working on him…that means he's just that strong!'_

"Looks like you need to do a good bit of levelling up if you want to match Nomu!" laughed Shigaraki. "He's been modified to take All Might at a hundred per cent."

Shouta almost screamed as he felt the bones in his right arm splinter and come very close to tearing through his skin. He had lost utterly; all he could do now was wait for help.

"Eh, I'm getting bored, Kurogiri," whined the man behind him. "Perhaps I should kill him after all…and here I'd been planning to wait until All Might arrived just so I could see the expression on his face when I killed his precious colleague…"

The Erasure Hero tried to get up, for which he was rewarded with another head-slam to the ground by Nomu. He suppressed a pained scream, blood trickling down his forehead.

It was at this moment that Shigaraki picked another target. "Well, guess I should eliminate the small fry first."

Shouta took a second to realize _he means Kendou and the rest_ and made another desperate effort to move but Nomu was just _too_ _strong…_

He could hear Asui try to fight back and Mineta's sobs, and for the first time, he began to despair.

And then the doors of the U.S.J burst open, and a resonant, booming voice rang out-

"_**Everything is fine now, for I am here!"**_

Shouta felt relief even as a soft black tide rose to meet him.

* * *

Kyosuke sat up, gasping. He blinked several times, adjusting himself to the change in his surroundings and the pain still making its presence known in his back and stomach, before realizing he wasn't Swampfire any longer.

"Chromastone?" he whispered in surprise, looking at his crystalline hands. Well, while he didn't remember switching forms mid-air, he was distinctly relieved for it. Had he remained Swampfire, he would have probably been a puddle of meristematic tissue and methane compounds; not even Swampfire would have been able to regenerate from a fall like _that_.

Speaking of which…he scowled as he got up gingerly. He'd _lost_. He'd lost so pathetically easily that he felt like vomiting again because of it. He hadn't landed a single hit on that monster, the one Shigaraki had called Nomu. Then again, it was most likely the weapon the League was planning to use against All Might, so this lessened the figurative blow to his ego somewhat.

Chromastone began to stagger back towards the U.S.J, entering through one of its many doors. He was greeted by the sight of the Shipwreck Zone, wherein Kendou, Asui and Mineta were hiding. The Nomu was pinning Aizawa-sensei to the dirt while Shigaraki and Kurogiri stood next to it.

Guilt crept at Chromastone. _'The reason Aizawa-sensei can't do anything now is because I was too weak to take the Nomu down. He's sacrificing himself so that Kendou, Asui and Mineta won't be noticed…I hope it will stay that way.'_

Apparently, it didn't. Shigaraki lunged at them, even as Asui tried to grab Kendou and put her out of harm's way. Chromastone desperately tried to aim a laser to take him down, but his injuries throbbed; he was simply too incapacitated to do anything. Besides, he was sure to miss from this distance…

He closed his one eye as Shigaraki advanced on to his friends, the image of Mineta, Asui and Kendou's dead bodies almost too much to bear….

_BOOM_!

The doors of the U.S.J opened, halting Shigaraki in his tracks.

"_**Everything is fine now, for I am here!"**_

The crystalline alien's heart exulted. All Might had arrived. They were alive and they were safe. He was here and everything was going to be okay.

The Symbol of Peace strode forward, so blindingly quickly that Chromastone lost sight of him. All he could see were unconscious bodies, Shigaraki slumping backwards and Kendou and company suddenly out of the pond and behind All Might.

Only one thing to do. He hit the watch symbol on his chest, pink and purple crystal fading as blue and black fur took its place.

"_**Fasttrack!"**_ yelled the newly-transformed speedster, racing forward at about half of his full speed and next to All Might in a few seconds. Everyone, sans the hero himself, jerked back in shock. "Kirihara-kun!" breathed Kendou. Fasttrack grinned at her, before lifting Aizawa-sensei's unconscious body in his arms. "All Might-sensei, I can get Aizawa-sensei medical attention immediately," he murmured, eyes locked onto the villains.

All Might nodded, similarly never taking his eyes off the Nomu. "Go! But don't leave the U.S.J. The other pros will be here in a few minutes."

"Okay," agreed Fasttrack, zipping off toward the entrance, and upon getting there, laying Aizawa's body gently next to Thirteen, who was still on the ground- though their costume was now significantly patched up due to Sero's tape. It was then that his Omnitrix slowly began to flash red, issuing a quiet, "Beep-beep-beep-**beep**," as his body covered itself with a bright red light. Soon, he was back in his human form, his Omnitrix glowing red instead of green.

'_That's weird,'_ thought Kyosuke, even as pain suddenly racked his torso and he had to sit down. _'It hasn't been twenty-five minutes yet…oh. When I was mid-air, the Omnitrix must have transformed me into Chromastone of its own volition to save my life, though doing so drained it of battery life…' _

"Kirihara-kun," panted Kendou as she finally caught up to him. "How do you feel? We saw you get punched by that thing."

"Like I cracked a rib or ten," admitted Kyosuke. Shame made itself known upon remembering his loss, and he tried to hide it. Evidently, she wasn't fooled; her expression softened and she gazed at him with sympathy. When had she begun to understand him and how he felt? "I shouldn't have attacked that hands-guy when I had…my chest hurts like hell."

Kendou knelt next to him, putting a gentle hand on his back. "It's alright. You did the best you could."

"Hell yeah, man; you were totally awesome against those three zombie clowns," said Sero with a grin. "Granted, Blasty was the one who finished them off, but you looked really cool! And you were amazing against the mist guy- you kicked him away like a total badass!"

Sero's praise made him want to curl in embarrassment even as Bakugou railed on him for calling him 'Blasty'. "What the fuck was that? I'll kill you!"

"Sorry, sorry!" laughed the black-haired boy, his expression completely unrepentant.

Kyosuke smiled, before turning back to watch the fight. All Might was repeatedly punching Nomu, his attacks potent enough to cause shockwaves. But the monster was unyielding, grasping at All Might with just as much power as the Number One Hero possessed.

Shigaraki was laughing, his voice loud enough to carry forward to the entrance of the U.S.J. "Nomu's Quirk is Shock Absorption. That along with his natural physical attack and defence stats make him immune to All Might's attacks. The best way to defeat him would be to slowly gouge out his flesh…but whether he'd let you do that is another matter altogether!"

"Thanks for telling me that!" grinned the Symbol of Peace, ducking beneath a savage blow and lifting the Nomu from behind its back. Kyosuke's eyes widened. _'Don't tell me…'_

"Hah!" yelled All Might, _piledriving_ the abomination into the dirt with a tremendous crash.

"Holy shit!" cheered Sero, Uraraka and Mineta joining in seconds later. From his position on the ground, Kyosuke sighed in relief. However, his relief turned to horror in a few seconds when the dust cleared.

"Is that…" All Might gritted his teeth as Nomu- _the_ _upper_ _half_ _of_ _Nomu_\- gripped his torso from underneath him, while the lower half remained suspended in Kurogiri's cloud of mist. "Is that how it is?"

Kendou, Asui and Sero gasped, horrified. Sero looked how Kyosuke felt- like he was about to vomit. Bakugou snarled, stepping forward. They were all too shell-shocked to stop him.

"Ahaha, were you trying to suppress his movement by piledriving him into the concrete?" asked Shigaraki gleefully. "You see, Symbol of Peace, we have planned for every possibility. You will not beat us today… you trash of society."

"Normally, I do not like blood and internal organs swirling about in my body. However, I would be happy to take in someone as great as you," sneered Kurogiri. "Restraining you was Nomu's task, as you are too fast to see with the human eye. Now, I have you within my grasp. Once half of your body is within my mist…I shall close the portal and bisect you."

All Might, for the first time Kyosuke had seen him in a villain situation, was without his smile. He let go of Nomu's lower half and pulled at its hand, even as they started to sink.

It was at this moment that Bakugou blasted himself forward, heading straight for the villain's body. "**DIE!**" he screeched, hitting the metal cylinder within Kurogiri's body with a massive explosion and pinning it down.

Simultaneously, Shouto Todoroki ran forth, a large stream of ice flowing forward from his right side and racing up Nomu's body up until its arms. "All I heard was that all of you are planning to kill All Might," he said, monotone yet purposeful. "Sorry to tell you this, but the Symbol of Peace shall not lose his life to layabouts like you." With that, All Might was successfully able to escape.

Kyosuke shook his head in admiration. Bakugou and Todoroki were both _so_ awesome. He would have loved to help, but his Omnitrix was still red. He would just be in the way, he thought to himself regretfully.

Nomu staggered to the ground, ice coating its right side and causing its arm to snap as it tried to get up. However, much to their collective shock, it regenerated back as if it had never been gone in the first place.

"What…how…" stammered All Might.

"I didn't say Shock Absorption was _all_ Nomu had!" Shigaraki gloated. "He's also got a regen buff! There's nothing you can do against him, is there?!"

"Both of you, get out of here, now!" said the Number One Hero urgently. "While I thank you for the assist, they'll target you next. You need to escape!"

"Hey-!" said Bakugou angrily, but Shigaraki wasn't about to let the conversation continue.

"While the students seem to be higher level than I thought, we need to recover our transportation."

"Shit!" yelled All Might, running forward-

"Go, Nomu," drawled the leader of the League of Villains, and the abomination jetted forward in a blur of black.

'_He's heading for Bakugou-'_ thought Kyosuke in alarm.

BOOM!

"_No_!" screamed Kendou from behind him, and the white-haired boy would have joined her had it not hurt so much to even breathe. However, their collective worry was all for nought. All Might had shoved the blond out of the way and taken the punch meant for Bakugou by himself.

"Shit!" laughed Shigaraki as All Might breathed heavily, obviously exhausted. "His speed and HP are just so high! Well, I guess it doesn't matter either way. Nomu, Kurogiri, take away all of his Hit Points. I'll take the two brats. Let's clear this level and go home before the pros arrive!"

All Might wasn't going to give them a chance- for the nth time today, he burst forward, this time so fast that the air whistled. Nomu charged at the same time, the two titans trading blows at a speed that left their arms blurred and shockwaves erupting.

"W-wow," said Kendou almost meekly.

"Damn. Didn't you hear about Nomu's Shock Absorption?" Shigaraki demanded even as he was flung aside.

"Yes, I did! Since your Quirk is Shock Absorption and not Nullification, there's got to be a limit, right?" laughed All Might even as blood sprayed from his mouth. "Made to fight me at a hundred per cent? If that's the case, I'll surpass my limits and _beat you from_ _there_!"

With an unholy screech, the first sound it had uttered since the fight, Nomu became overwhelmed by the strength and speed of the Symbol of Peace. All Might was relentless, peppering the monster with punches before flinging it around like a ragdoll.

Kyosuke felt his jaw slacken. He had to overcome _this_ to make it to the top? No one could hold a candle to him- he was All Might; unbeatable, unstoppable, and unsurpassed…

Nomu was battered beyond belief, struggling to rise even as All Might threw it down.

"Hey, villain…do you know what these words mean?" growled the Symbol of Peace, his fist flashing with multicoloured light.

"GO BEYOND! **PLUS**_**…ULTRA**_**!**"

The unfortunate Nomu was absolutely demolished, its ragged body shooting like a meteor up, up, and up, until it could be seen no longer.

All Might stayed in the same position for a while, before slumping downward and laughing slightly. "Haha… back in my heyday, it would've taken me five hits at full power to subdue that guy…but today, it took me over three hundred."

The Symbol of Peace was the most injured Kyosuke had ever seen him, with his hair falling out of place, blood and bruises marking his face and his dress shirt and trousers torn in several places. Despite all of this, he couldn't help but laugh slightly at his comment.

All Might turned menacingly towards Shigaraki, who by the visible trembling of his body was clearly shocked and horrified that his abomination hadn't been enough to subdue his enemy. "Now, villains…what will you do?" he asked even as an unnatural white smoke began to issue from his body.

"Tomura Shigaraki…" murmured Kurogiri, loud enough for Kyosuke and the rest to hear, "…it would be prudent to retreat at this point of time."

It was at this moment that a beep-beepbeep-**beep** issued from Kyosuke's wrist, and he looked at it in surprise before letting out a slight exclamation of delight; the Omnitrix had turned green once more.

"No, _no_, _NO_!" screamed Shigaraki, mad-eyed beneath his mask and hands twitching. He looked truly insane then- like a man cornered and ready to kill until and unless he was killed himself. "I'm going to _disintegrate_ you, right _here_ _and_ _noooow_!"

He raced toward All Might, who made no move to stop him, but Kyosuke wasn't going to allow anything to happen to the Hero. Not when he could do something to help, not when he had _already_ _failed_ _once_.

"_**Fasttrack!"**_

The lithe blue speedster raced forward and _kicked_ Shigaraki at the speed of sound; he could hear the wet snap of ribs breaking and see blood spray from between the fingers of the mask as the pale man was knocked aside with a feral scream. Kurogiri and All Might each gasped in horror.

"Shigaraki!" yelled the black mist-man, stretching several wispy tendrils of plasma towards the severely wounded young man, who had been knocked unconscious by the blow.

"Young Kirihara-!" cried All Might in warning as steam slipped out of his body at an increasing rate. Was he getting _skinnier_?

Kyosuke, still in his Fasttrack form, couldn't help but watch in shock as the Symbol of Peace became more emaciated by the second, like a car tyre deflating. Muscle deteriorated and clothes loosened until he was staring at a husk of a man who looked like he could fade any second.

The skeletal blond in All Might's place let out a sigh. "Well…shit."

As the smoke dissipated, the doors of the U.S.J burst open for the second time.

"I, TENYA IIDA, HAVE RETURNED WITH REINFORCEMENTS!"

Kyosuke almost collapsed for a second time.

* * *

In the end, they hadn't been able to capture the two ringleaders, Shigaraki and Kurogiri. The latter had warped them away too fast. At least Snipe had tagged Shigaraki with a bullet and drawn his blood for DNA profiling. That had been something.

Kyosuke's exhaustion seeped through him like molasses through water. He felt slow, sluggish and tired; like there was oil in his blood vessels and blanketing his muscles. As Recovery Girl had used her Quirk on him, this was not at all surprising. All he really wanted to do was go home, and even that wasn't a highly appealing prospect. There wasn't anyone to return home to, after all.

His hero costume was by some miracle mostly undamaged, but that aside, he was made to take it off and change into his uniform. He was reluctant to give up his armour, but Power Loader had insisted, on the basis of them needing to undergo a routine check-up.

School was out for today, and tomorrow, and since it was a Saturday the day after tomorrow, that was a holiday too. This was fine with Kyosuke. He was so tired that the thought of school made him want to collapse.

All Might's secret was now in the open. What had been known to only a select few individuals only the previous day was now known to Class 1-A in its entirety, as well as the League of Villains in all likelihood.

"_I will explain things when you come to school next,"_ All Might had promised, gaunt and wizened and tired. _"but right now, all of you have enough to deal with. Rest and recuperate at home. This should go without saying, but please do not tell anyone besides those close to you about what happened today."_

(It was a while before Kyosuke could recognize him as Yagi-sensei, the man who had served as a proctor during the written exam.)

He walked home slowly, ignoring the people staring at him and whispering. Hitching his backpack slightly over his shoulders, he sighed. He felt lonely. He wanted his friends by his side, but he hadn't bothered to say anything when they'd reached school. He was sure they wanted to go home as much as he did.

Still. That didn't mean he didn't desire their company.

Almost as an answer to a prayer, a voice rang out.

"Kirihara?"

He turned to see Kirishima, with Ashido and Kendou beside him watching him concernedly.

"Would you…like to come over to my place?"

Kirishima was watching him hesitantly, not sure what to expect. Kyosuke watched them for a while before breaking into a tired smile.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'd love to."

Far, far away, in a darkened bar, a shadow in a suit polished glasses behind a counter with remarkable efficiency. Crouched on a stool in front of the counter was a beast of a man, with rugged skin, a large jaw with a pronounced underbite, small mean eyes and enclosed in a hulking suit of armour.

"How is Shigaraki?" inquired Kurogiri, sliding a glass of aquavit over to the man, who caught it and sipped it slowly, savouring the flavour.

"He is well," answered Vulkanus, his voice cracked and low. "Still under medication, of course, but I have removed the bone splinters from his intercostals and they have started to heal. He shall be at full strength in a few weeks if he does not try anything such as disintegrate my equipment once more."

Kurogiri huffed in amusement at Vulkanus's grumbling. "It just doesn't pay to be a villain sometimes, does it?" he asked. The other man grunted before downing the rest of his aquavit in one. "Nevertheless, Shigaraki's injury is a small price to pay when we consider the bigger picture. My drones have worked as they were needed to, and the results have been…fruitful."

"Fruitful?" asked a confused Kurogiri. Vulkanus pulled out a screen from an attachment on his pauldron and showed it to the mist villain with a savage grin on his face, which looked even more menacing when one considered that his teeth were merely extensions of his non-existent lips.

Yellow eyes widened. "This is-!"

"Do you see now, Kurogiri?" asked Vulkanus in satisfaction, sliding his empty glass toward the smoky bartender. "Toppling the society of heroes will now be that much easier. The next step will be making this public."

"And then…the faith in the Symbol of Peace that has remained so unfaltering throughout these years shall begin to crumble, and all of Japan will _cower_ before the League."

Kurogiri grunted in satisfaction, refilling his glass and pouring some more aquavit for himself. The two men clinked their glasses together.

"To the League of Villains, and Tomura Shigaraki."

The abode of the Kirishima's was a house that gave off a warm and welcoming aura that soothed Kyosuke even as he entered it. If he hadn't been so damn tired, he would have commented on this, but he was too exhausted to speak.

It was similar with Kendou and Ashido, who were entirely silent as Kirishima opened the door with his key and entered with a loud declaration of "I'm home!"

"Welcome home!" a female voice replied, followed by a pitter-patter of footsteps as a thin woman with medium-length black hair, eyes much like Kirishima's in colour and shape, and a wide smile entered the living room. This was no doubt the Kirishima matriarch. "Oh, you've brought your friends home too! How was your day, Ei?"

"Mom, there was a villain attack," said Kirishima. Kyosuke winced inwardly; way to deliver it without sugar-coating the news. Then again, it would have done neither of them any favours if he had.

"There was a _what_?!" The smile disappeared from the mother's face in an instant.

Kirishima tried to explain as best as he could, but his speech was garbled and Kendou ended up having to take over. "Oba-san, we went to a facility called the Unforeseen Simulation Joint for some disaster training when we were attacked by a group of villains calling themselves the League of Villains. Thankfully, All Might was there to ward off the worst of them before any of us could get seriously hurt. Everyone in our class is fine."

How Kendou could even think of saying that, Kyosuke did not know. Had he been in her place, there would be no way he would have been able to come up with a summary as succinct as hers had been. Then again, he had been the only one among them to receive Recovery Girl's healing, and thus the most tired among all of them.

Much to their combined relief, the Kirishima matriarch did not press them for details. "How about you go inside," she suggested. "Poor dears, you must be so tired. I can send up something for all of you. How about some ice cream?"

A murmur of assent resonated from everyone, followed by a series of 'thank you, oba-san'. They trudged up the stairs to Kirishima's room, followed by Kirishima and Ashido promptly flinging themselves on the bed, Kendou sitting on the chair next to what looked like his study table, and Kyosuke claiming a red beanbag that had Crimson Riot's logo on it.

For several moments, all of them were silent. Then, Ashido sighed, sitting up and folding her legs. "The League of Villains, huh?"

Kendou exhaled. "Before today, I'd have said that that name would belong to a wannabe band of misfits wanting to cause some chaos. But that monster- the one that the hands-guy had called Nomu- that had been no joke."

"Ya think?" exclaimed Kirishima, shaking his head. "We all _saw_ that thing punch Kirihara."

"Thank _God_ we don't have school tomorrow," said Ashido fervently. "I don't think I'll be able to get out of bed tomorrow morning until, like, two p.m."

Kyosuke, for his part, was frowning in thought at something Kendou had said.

"_Before today, I'd have said that that name would belong to a wannabe band of misfits wanting to cause some chaos."_

"Actually, Kendou, I don't think you're very far from the truth," he said suddenly. Said girl, along with the other two occupants of the room, looked at him in surprise. "I've been thinking about how Shigaraki- the hands-guy- had been acting. He was talking about the Nomu like it was a toy, some sort of gift from his rich dad."

"Now that you mention it…" Kendou furrowed her brow in thought. She had, after all, been the only one among them besides himself near the main plaza- close enough to hear Shigaraki speak. Kirishima and Ashido listened intently. "He was saying something like, "You'll have to do a lot of levelling up if you want to match Nomu," to Aizawa-sensei."

"Sounds like he was talking about a video-game character," snorted Ashido.

"Right?" exclaimed Kyosuke. "He reminded me of a child. He kept using video-game references, and his first reaction when Bakugou and I defeated the Circus Freaks was to whine to Kurogiri about how we 'had taken out the mini-bosses like it was nothing.'"

"Circus Freaks? Kurogiri?" asked Kirishima, confused. Kyosuke took a moment to explain, and just as he was finishing, there was a gentle knock on the door, and Kirishima's mother entered with a smile and a tray of four bowls, each containing generous portions of melting chocolate ice cream.

"Thank you very much, oba-san," said Kyosuke, who was nearest the door and thus felt obligated to receive the tray.

"No need, dear," said the Kirishima matriarch fondly, before exiting the room. He felt guilty for imposing on her so, but there was nothing he could do about it now. A few more minutes, he promised himself silently, as he passed the bowls around. He would give himself just a few more minutes, and then he would leave for his own apartment. Given that it was a Thursday, his guardian would- thankfully- not be around. Not that he particularly hated the man, he simply preferred being alone or with his friends than being with his guardian. The sentiment, much to their mutual relief, was reciprocated.

"It really makes you wonder whether Shigaraki is really the League of Villains' true leader," said Kendou, restarting the conversation after digging into her ice cream as if they had never stopped in the first place. "Don't you think someone must be pulling the strings within the shadows whilst using Shigaraki as a front?"

"That's some theory, though I wouldn't be surprised if it was true," mumbled Kyosuke around a spoonful of ice cream.

"Could it be Kurogiri, while he masquerades as Shigaraki's lackey?" suggested Ashido.

"It's a possibility," agreed Kirishima.

"Maybe," said Kyosuke, though he wasn't terribly convinced. Kurogiri's servility to the pale man had seemed extremely genuine.

Silence reigned for a few minutes. Obviously, no one was willing to address the next pink elephant in the room; All Might, and that his true form was apparently a skinny rake of a man who looked like he couldn't hold his own against a ten-year-old, let alone such a fearsome enemy as the Nomu.

What sort of circumstance could have possibly forced him to attain that form? Was it a side-effect of his Quirk? Surely it had to have _something_ to do with it, but it had to be more than just that.

Either way, it had been scary seeing the Symbol of Peace as that pathetic husk. To even imagine All Might, not as the tall, muscular man with a perpetual smile they all knew so well but something else entirely. It terrified him and he doubted that he would ever be able to look at Yagi-sensei (at least, that's what Kyosuke thought his name was) and imagine him as the Symbol of Peace… or look at All Might and _not_ think about Yagi-sensei, his true form.

The last of Kyosuke's ice cream disappeared down his throat with a gulp, and he got up from the beanbag with some difficulty. "I should go," he said. "I've intruded upon your hospitality for too long, Kirishima."

The boy in question replied immediately, "You don't _have_ to leave, you know- you can stay here a while longer-"

"I've intruded long enough," interrupted Kyosuke. He was very conscious of the fact that every moment he was spending here was another moment a worried mother just a floor below him was left to languish in her worry without her son at her side to alleviate it. However, Kirishima was looking at him with the air of the extremely betrayed, so he added, "We can meet tomorrow at that café in Kiyashi; don't look at me like that, man."

"Well, I guess," Kirishima said uncertainly. "See ya later, dude."

"Yeah," smiled the other boy, waving goodbye to his friends before leaving the house. As he stepped on to the pavement, he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. He didn't much feel like going home yet…perhaps he could get some coffee at a nearby shop or something, that would be nice. He rummaged in his pockets, coming up with exactly 550 yen. Not a high sum, but enough to get by at any rate.

Kyosuke made the trip to the nearest café via Google Maps and ordered an iced coffee. He sighed in exhaustion, not enjoying the feel of the sun on his head and the ache of his feet. The fact that his house was over a kilometre's walk away did not help matters, and he couldn't get a taxi, bus or metro considering he'd blown 400 yen on the coffee.

His drink arrived and Kyosuke sunk onto a cool wooden bench with another sigh, though of relief this time. As he sipped from his drink and revelled in the feel of the beverage sliding down his throat, he caught sight of one of the several large screens on public display in Musutafu and swivelled around to pay attention to what was playing.

His jaw went slack and his coffee fell from his hand, spilling all over the floor and getting on his shoes. However, he didn't give a damn. _Couldn't_ give a damn because of the words playing across the screen and the image flashing across it.

All Might, the _true_ All Might, emaciated and bloody and bruised after his fight with the Nomu. And the sentence underneath:

**ALL MIGHT'S TRUE FORM: THE SYMBOL OF PEACE EXPOSED **

'_What…how?'_

* * *

**Greetings, readers!**

**This is by far the longest chapter I've typed out for the story so far and while it may be incredibly true to the text, I'm personally very proud of it. I do advise not to expect such a long chapter next time- think of this as a bit of redemption for such a short chapter in Chapter 7.**

**Thank you for reading and don't forget to leave a review to show your appreciation or lend constructive criticism. A fledgeling writer such as myself would greatly appreciate it.**

**Until next time.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

"This is a _disaster_!" Nedzu erupted, the principal of U.A losing his cool for the first time in over ten years. Standing in front of his desk were Toshinori Yagi, the man still looking tired and drawn as if he had not gotten any sleep, Sekijiro Kan, who was apprehensive and withdrawn, and Nemuri Kayama, who was looking at the principal worriedly.

Shouta was in a wheelchair, bandages covering his face and most of his body. He had been injured to an incredible degree by the monster the League had called _Nomu_ and wasn't ready to move about on his own yet. The rest of the faculty was absent, as they were either holding the media's incessant questions back or investigating the League's whereabouts with the police force.

On every media channel, the same video was being played over and over. All Might, shrinking down into his true form after the battle with the League. The news was the biggest issue the media had discovered in years, and they were simply eating it up.

There was no doubt, of course, as to who had sent them the video.

"How did the League of Villains even get that sort of footage?!" ranted Nedzu. "And why is the media showcasing this? The U.S.J is _private_ _property_; they cannot show any footage of anything that has happened there!"

"Nedzu-kouchou, please," said Nemuri with a pained expression on her face. The principal took a deep breath, composing himself and smoothening the fur on his arms. When he spoke once more, his tone was carefully controlled. "What shall you do now, Yagi-kun?"

"I expect I shall be called unto a press conference," said Yagi wearily. None of them were in their hero costumes for once, despite them being in U.A. "Though I'm not exactly sure what they will ask, nor what I should tell them to explain this away."

"While that is unfortunate, I was talking about One for All," said Nedzu calmly. "Have you considered appointing any student as your successor during your time here?"

Yagi smiled bitterly, and Shouta- for once- felt sympathy for his colleague. "I suppose the time is nigh, isn't it Nedzu-kouchou? I have delayed passing on One for All in the vain hope that I could continue my hero duties for a while longer, but it seems that it has been for nought. That being said, I have outlined a set of potential successors, though Mirio Togata remains my personal favourite."

"Who might they be?" inquired Nedzu.

"Two from Class 1-A," whispered Yagi. "and one from 1-B."

"Enlighten us," said Shouta.

"Eijirou Kirishima and Itsuka Kendou from Class 1-A." Shouta had to resist hitting his head; of _course_, Yagi would choose the two students from his class whose fighting styles were most similar to his own. "Jurota Shishida from 1-B."

Nedzu hummed. "Why?"

"Young Kirishima seems talented and determined, even if his mind is not quite as sharp. Young Kendou is very much the same way if a tad more intelligent than Young Kirishima. While I haven't seen as much of 1-B as I would have liked, Young Shishida is one of the most notable short-range fighters 1-B possesses. That is why he is one of my choices."

As Yagi paused for breath, Nedzu smiled. "While your choices are commendable, Togata-kun is still the best one among them and holds the most potential, I believe. Kendou-kun and Kirishima-kun are young and inexperienced compared to him, though to their credit I would have probably selected one of them had he not been around. And Shishida-kun is powerful enough without One for All to back him up."

Yagi sighed. "Yes."

"Have Togata-kun brought to us and explain One for All to him," instructed the principal, but the blond shook his head. "Nighteye can do that. It will be easier that way, given that he also knows about One for All and is Young Togata's personal mentor."

"Of course." Nedzu's beady black eyes rested on Yagi's tired form. "I'm sorry, Yagi-kun. But this cannot be delayed any longer than it already has."

"I understand," said the Symbol of Peace wearily, striding out of the door. When it closed, the sound carried with it a sense of finality.

* * *

Kyosuke felt more than a little apprehensive as he sat down in Class 1-A three days after the debacle with the League of Villains. He fiddled with the Omnitrix absently, not triggering the transformation mechanism but tracing the watch face and rubbing his thumb over the polished silver dial.

All Might, in his true form, entered the class, instinctively causing all of them to tense. A few seconds later, Aizawa-sensei entered, which elicited a much sharper reaction- his entire face was bandaged.

"Morning," drawled the Pro Hero, causing All Might to chuckle as the class erupted.

"_YOU'RE BACK TOO SOON!"_

"You're being too much of a Pro, Aizawa-sensei!" Kaminari added a beat later. Aizawa ignored this, saying, "My well being is irrelevant. The U.A Sports Festival draws near."

Kirishima threw his hands up. "It's a normal school event!"

Kendou abruptly shook her head. "No, it's not!"

"The U.A Sports Festival is on a whole other level than other schools. It's regarded as Japan's personal Olympics and is one of the most anticipated events of the year," explained Jirou.

"Correct, Young Jirou!" praised All Might. "However, considering you are students of U.A and are therefore actual participants, there's more to it than just that. Pro Heroes around the country shall be scouting you and determine whether you'll make a good fit as their sidekick when you graduate. They also send in internships depending on your performance. So, give it your all! You'll only have two chances to prove yourself in this manner after this year- _kh-hakk_!" The skinny man fumbled in his pockets for a handkerchief as blood flowed from his mouth.

"A-All Might-sensei!" gasped Yaoyorozu in horror. The Number One Hero only waved off her concern. "This is normal, Young Yaoyorozu. I'll be fine."

"Sensei, coughing up blood is a sign of _internal_ _bleeding_, that isn't _normal_!" exclaimed Kendou.

"We shall be getting to that in a few moments," said Aizawa, glaring at All Might before facing the class once more. "Any questions?"

"Sensei, why is the Sports Festival happening so soon after the villain attack?" asked Iida instantly.

"The U.A Sports Festival is one of the biggest events in Japan. It shall not be put off by a group of villains," said Aizawa calmly. "However, your concern is understandable. To ensure the safety and security of the students, the Festival's security has been made four times stronger, and it shall be guarded by the two top heroes, All Might and Endeavour. This, of course, also has the effect of restoring the faith of the public in the Symbol of Peace."

Kyosuke scowled at that. After seeing the news about All Might's true form, the public had gone absolutely bonkers. Online threads had exploded, newspaper articles had been dashed off in the thousands, and even some public protests had occurred. _Tell us the truth, All Might! Can we still trust you, or can't we?!_

The media, to say the least, was having the time of its life.

He hated it. He was the _Symbol of Peace_; he wasn't going to suddenly slip up just because his true state was a skeletal rake. He hadn't slipped up till _now_, had he?

There was no way All Might was retiring. No way.

"Speaking of which…" Aizawa moved slowly aside. "You have the floor, All Might."

The blond sighed wearily. "Years ago, I received an extremely debilitating wound to my torso that completely wrecked my stomach and destroyed major portions of my abdomen, as well as leaving me with a condition of permanent internal bleeding."

"_Permanent internal bleeding,"_ mouthed Kendou incredulously.

All Might continued speaking. "I am not sure of the fate of the villain who gave it to me, but if he isn't dead, he is no doubt recuperating from similar, if not worse, injuries. The doctors managed to save my life, at the cost of my time limit of remaining in my muscled form becoming three hours every day. However, since the U.S.J debacle, it has shortened even further to seventy minutes."

_Seventy minutes_. That number hung over the class like a suffocating cloud.

He'd been fighting like that for years. Constantly bleeding internally, stomach non-existent, abdomen demolished; how had he even managed to _live_, let alone retain his status as the Number One? He'd fought the Nomu like that. Defeated it like that. While the rest of them- including Aizawa-sensei- hadn't been able to dent it in any way, he'd destroyed it completely despite _not having_ _a_ _fucking_ _stomach_.

"But do not worry," said the Number One Hero, his body ballooning and expanding until he was the smiling Symbol they all knew so well. The cloud dissipated and the class all smiled, relieved even as All Might spoke once more. "I shall continue my duties as a hero. I shall keep my spot as Number One. The Symbol of Peace is not ready to retire yet!"

The class cheered. But Kyosuke- and Bakugou- did not join in. The blond's face had darkened to an immense degree, and the former suspected that All Might's little statement hadn't yet eased him completely like it had the rest of the class.

"All right, all right," said Aizawa crossly, quietening the class with remarkable ease. "As a side note about the Festival, you won't be allowed to use your costumes. You'll be competing in your gym clothes." Kyosuke felt his eyebrow twitch slightly in annoyance. He loved his costume, despite its simplicity, and not being allowed to wear it in the event wherein he would be most thankful to have it seemed a gross injustice.

"And lastly…" Aizawa held up his phone to show them an app in the shape of a large red button. "I've sent links to all of you in your personal emails with instructions on how to download this attachment. Click this, and a text is sent to twenty-two contacts of your choosing, including your location at the time of clicking." To demonstrate, he pressed the button, and immediately every single phone in the class- including All Might's- vibrated.

"I want all of you to download this, and add all of your classmates, myself, All Might and one of your parents or guardians as the twenty-two contacts receiving the text. It isn't dependent on Wi-Fi and is completely free, but if any of you hit this button, the rest of you are to treat it as a cry for help. Owing to the League of Villains' recent attack, this is a safety measure we are employing. If any of you meet a villain- and _only if you do-_ hit this. Understood?"

"Right," said everyone in the class.

"Good. Dismissed."

* * *

Considering that they had just survived a villain attack and had gotten a three-day-long holiday before coming back, the rest of the school day being extremely boring should not have come as a surprise.

Kyosuke, despite this, was tired and just wanted to go home by the end of it. If he heard Present Mic saying something along the lines of "SHOUT the answer for the whole class to hear!" one more time, he swore he was going to turn into Humungosaur and beat the blond man to a pulp, Pro Hero or no.

A sudden commotion outside the classroom shook him out of these homicidal thoughts and got him to open the door wondering what the noise was all about. He was greeted by a literal swarm of students, all whispering among themselves and peering at the people of 1-A. Kyosuke, who was nearest to the door, jerked back in surprise as a boy with steel-grey hair suddenly came up from behind the crowd and yelled over the whispers, "Hey, 1-A! Looks like you've got pretty arrogant just 'cause you took down a bunch of villains! The rest of us from 1-B next door couldn't even participate in disaster training 'cause of you!"

"A 'bunch of villains'?" murmured Uraraka behind him in a disbelieving, almost threatening fashion, while Bakugou simply made his way over to the boy and glared. "Move it, you fucking extra."

"So rude!" yelled Iida from behind him. Whether he was referring to the crowd, the grey-haired boy, or Bakugou, Kyosuke did not know. Mercifully, Kendou made her way to the front alongside Bakugou and glared at the crowd with all the authority of a Class Representative. "What is your business with 1-A?"

"Isn't it obvious?" scoffed the blond beside her before anyone else could respond. "They want to scout us out. Right now, we're the only class that has undergone true combat against villains. We're their biggest competition in the Sports Festival." He turned around and snarled wrathfully. "What a bunch of fuckin' extras."

"Looks like someone's got quite a mouth on him," interrupted a tall boy with purple hair (seriously, what was it with hero school and weird hair colours? Of course, he couldn't help but feel like a bit of a hypocrite on thinking this, but still). "Though you're not wrong, I've come here to do more than just scout you out. I've come here to remind you that out of the two-hundred and twenty spots U.A has to offer every year, only forty of those are for the hero course. Out of the rest of the students, there are some who enrolled in Gen Ed only because they couldn't get into heroics."

"I already knew that. What's your point?" asked Bakugou irritably.

The purple-haired student stared back coldly. "Oh? Did you also know that the Sports Festival also decides whether those students may move up to the Hero Course or not?"

This garnered Kyosuke's attention.

"If a Gen Ed student does well in the Sports Festival, they'll probably be promoted to the Heroics Course. Conversely, if a Hero Course student does badly, they'll be demoted to Gen Ed. Catch my drift?" the boy smiled dangerously.

"Of course I fucking do," scoffed Bakugou, grinning back. "The entrance exam was aimed towards those students with combat-related Quirks. That doesn't mean that there aren't monster Quirks in the crowd of Gen Ed students. Eraserhead's and Midnight's Quirks would've been useless in the exam, and they're Pros now, aren't they?"

Bakugou pushed the other boy aside. "Are _you_ one of those monsters? Well, it doesn't matter. I'm going to obliterate all of you and take the top spot. _No one_, Gen Ed or Heroics, is going to stand in my way."

"Cocky little shit," murmured the purple-haired boy, but loudly enough for Kyosuke to hear, before making for the stairs, presumably done with trying to intimidate the rest of them. He did the same, beckoning for Kendou, Kirishima and Ashido to join him.

"Kirihara," drawled Aizawa from his left suddenly. Surprised, Kyosuke turned around, the sight of his heavily bandaged teacher unnerving him more so than usual. "I need a word with you in private. The rest of you, go. He'll be right behind you."

His friends frowned slightly before complying, casting worried glances at the white-haired boy. This was the second time Aizawa had pulled Kyosuke aside to talk privately in just two weeks of schooling. What could he want this time?

Aizawa-sensei silently led him to a secluded corner, further perplexing Kyosuke, before abruptly turning to face him. "Had All Might's identity not been revealed to the rest of the world, I would have probably suspended you from U.A for several weeks, or even expelled you."

Kyosuke sputtered. "W-what? Why?"

"Because of the recklessness you displayed in the U.S.J." Aizawa's glare was piercing even when slightly obscured by the bandages around his face. "Why did you think it was a good idea to try and face the villains when I had given you express instructions to stay back? Did you not consider the fact that you could have died or been irreversibly injured?"

Kyosuke was struck speechless.

"We teachers are responsible for all of you, and by extension your actions. How can we condone the fact that you faced down a group of villains and nearly got yourself killed? What would your parents have said? What would we have told them, had they been still alive?"

The mention of his parents felt like a punch to the gut. Aizawa-sensei was right. How could he have been so foolish? Why had he done something that could have ended his life right before his career as a Hero began? Remorse flooded him in waves.

The Erasure Hero was clearly not finished. "This time, you got away without injury. The next time, you might not be so lucky. The rest of the students fought in self-defence, but you went out and _picked a fight_. It hadn't been your place to do something like that. All it takes to kill you is a stray bullet from some idiot with a gun when you're not in alien form, or when that Omnitrix of yours times out. Did you think of that?"

"I-I felt like I could help," Kyosuke said, eyes on the ground.

"And you did," Aizawa-sensei admitted. "All Might owes you his life, or at least the fact that no part of his body has been further disintegrated. You kicked Shigaraki away before he could do any damage, after all. However, that doesn't excuse the fact that you could have died. I rarely say this, but you have great potential as a Hero. Don't let it go to waste because of a reckless action misconstrued as a heroic deed. Got it?"

Kyosuke nodded.

"All right. You're dismissed. Don't slack off for the Sports Festival and stay sharp. Got it, Problem Child?"

"Y-yes, Sensei," said Kyosuke, feeling somewhat nettled by the new nickname.

* * *

Crouched in a dark alley, a killer waited.

Blood dripped from his blades and his breath hissed like sand over broken glass through his teeth. He was utterly silent and unnoticeable- not even a top ten hero would have felt his presence in the darkness.

A bar nearby was playing loud music, something along the lines of heavy metal. It made the walls throb, and by extension the killer's head. He ignored it. Nothing could distract him from his mission tonight.

Footsteps approached- no doubt a group of Pros scouting the area. Not a single person in the bar heard their approach- the killer heard them coming a mile away. He licked his lips in anticipation. Soon, his blades would _sing_.

They approached. Closer. Closer. Closer.

"-hit up the bar right now?"

"I dunno, man, the Hero Killer's been getting bolder and bolder…I don't feel safe."

"Don't be such a _downer_, man; everything's fine s' long as we get our paycheques from Manual, right?"

Blood thrummed in an unfaltering crescendo within his veins and rage filled his heart. These fakes did not _deserve_ to uphold the title of hero; they were little better than _garbage_! Trash like them would _fall_ under his blade and their blood would nourish the flowering of a new society.

'_Someone has to sully his hands for the sake of eliminating those unworthy of the title of hero…'_

He leapt out in a frenzy of metal and death, his blade cutting through bone and flesh. Blood erupted and desecrated the alley as the killer continued his rampage.

"**I am Stain, and this is my mission."**

A scream. A squelch of metal on meat.

Then all was silence.

* * *

The U.A Sports Festival Stadium had been purposely designed to look like the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Stadium, symbolic of the time before Quirks when the Olympics were obsessed over by sports fans of all ages.

Now, superpowers had become a part of the equation. However, to pay homage to the Olympics of old, the Stadium had been designed exactly as its Olympian counterpart; an open building, cylindrical and with a curved top, designed with metal and glass such that it would not break apart even under the most distressful circumstances, including, but not limited to, natural calamities, Quirk-related accidents and weapons of war.

Now, that same Stadium was teeming with an audience that numbered in the millions. Despite the revelation of All Might's weakness, many were excited at the fact that they were in the same building as the Number One Hero, and longed for even a glimpse of him.

In the waiting room designated to 1-A, Kyosuke, Kendou, Kirishima and Ashido were together like they usually were, all in their gym uniforms and talking idly among themselves- specifically, about the fact that Kyosuke, who had come first in the entrance exam, was supposed to give a speech in front of millions of people. This had quickly devolved into a three-on-one teasing match, which was also extremely one-sided.

"What did I tell you about being the first years' Golden Boy?" asked Ashido smugly. Kyosuke buried his face in his hands, much to their apparent amusement. "Shut up," he wailed.

Kendou playfully wrinkled her nose. "I hope you don't include that sort of language in your speech, Kirihara-kun, that might be slightly off-putting to the masses." The three roared with laughter as Kyosuke made to hide his face entirely in his legs and refuse to come out.

A voice suddenly interjected. "Could I have a word?"

It was Todoroki, looking as stoic and expressionless as ever. Instantly, the smiles dropped from their faces, and Kyosuke raised his own, even getting up from where he was sitting. "What is it, Todoroki?" he asked.

The heterochromatic boy stared coldly at Kyosuke. "After spending a month or so here in U.A, I think I may safely say that you possess the most power out of everyone in the class," he stated flatly.

Kyosuke held his chin thoughtfully, disguising his sudden unease at the statement. "Well, I dunno about that…I'm sure you or Bakugou are still ahead of me-"

"Please don't waste my time with false modesty." Due to the chill emanating from the boy, Kyosuke failed to realize that the class- especially Bakugou- had gone entirely silent. "You broke All Might's record in the Entrance Exam. You came first in Aizawa-sensei's Quirk Assessment Test. You singlehandedly took Bakugou down during the Battle Training and played a major part in defeating me as well. You were among the only ones to engage in direct combat against the ringleaders in the U.S.J, and you saved All Might from the hands-villain when no one else could."

Kyosuke fell silent. As much as he didn't want to admit it, these statements were nothing more than the simple truth.

"I still don't understand your powers fully, nor do I realize their full extent," continued Todoroki. "However, know this. I will defeat you."

"Hey, dude," began Kirishima, but Todoroki held up a hand, stilling him instantly.

"I haven't come here to play games or make friends." His voice was soft and cold, almost a snarl. "I've come here to _win_, and if that means breaking you and every transformation of yours down to the ground, so be it. Consider this a declaration of war."

Kyosuke felt himself still, ice flooding his blood and frost in his veins.

_A declaration of war._

He didn't realize it was time to move until Kendou tapped his shoulder, alerting him to the fact that Cementoss was calling him and the rest of 1-A to the field. When he finally regained control over his mind, he almost sadly thought to himself, _'Is this what it means to be at the top, All Might?'_

Of course, he received no response.

* * *

Kyosuke was not a fan of speeches. He hated giving speeches. One of the only reasons he hadn't run for Student Council in Orudera was because of the multitude of speeches they would need to give. He had never enjoyed the feeling of hundreds of eyes upon him as he stood atop a stage and tried to speak a few words. It more often than not left him stupid and tongue-tied.

Now, he was being expected to stand on a stage and do all of that, except for the fact that there would be _millions_ of eyes watching him, instead of just a hundred or so. And he would also be featured on T.V. That fact did nothing to bolster his confidence.

He licked his lips nervously as Midnight, who was apparently officiating the First-Year's Sports Festival, explained the ground rules and precautions while cracking her whip and sashaying across the stage. "Now, it's time for the player pledge!" _Shit_. "Representing the first-year students of U.A, Kyosuke Kirihara!"

Inhaling and exhaling, he stepped onto the stage, recalling the pledge Midnight had made him memorize the last day. Apparently, he was also supposed to add something of his own at the end, which was the other reason he was so nervous. After all, he had no idea how the public- or the students- would receive it.

"I pledge," his voice carried forward via the microphone as the crowd went utterly silent, "to take part in the Sports Festival in fair competition, respecting the regulations that govern it and with the desire to participate in the true spirit of sportsmanship for the honour of U.A and the glory of the Festival."

From here on out, each word was his own. He inhaled, purpose driving away his nervousness, before continuing;

"I pledge to do my best as a fellow competitor, to be gracious in combat, and exemplify the true meaning of being a student of U.A while doing so."

"I pledge to honour each and every one of my opponents by trying my hardest."

He clenched his fist, holding it up in a clear sign of challenge. His nervousness was a thing of the past. His heart beat rhythmically within his ribcage, his eyes lighting up with the drive to become the best.

"I pledge-" Behind him, Todoroki and Bakugou's eyes widened- "to _win_."

The crowd went absolutely nuts. Applause thundered down on him as he walked back to the 1-A line and promptly almost collapsed as he realized that he'd essentially accepted Todoroki's declaration of war in full.

That being said, he didn't plan on losing. He had come here with the intention of giving it his all.

"That was _gutsy_, dude," said Kirishima in awe. Kendou grinned at him, patting his shoulder, before turning to face the podium.

"And now, it's time to decide the first round!" Midnight, looking reasonably happy with the speech he had given (thank God), cracked her whip as a roulette display appeared on the big screen, a ball marked with the kanji for 'hero'- _eiyuu_\- rolling round and round in a wheel that was spinning in the opposite direction before settling in a pocket marked 24. Instantly, the display vanished and another one was put up in orange kanji-

_**Event 24: Obstacle Race**_

"Looks like the first event is the obstacle race!" The crowd cheered loudly. Midnight grinned deviously as she continued, "The rules are as follows. All of you are supposed to run a race around the track, which is approximately four kilometres! This is a qualifier round of sorts- only the first thirty-two students that pass shall be allowed to continue to the next round!"

Her expression became much sultrier as she gazed upon the throng of students, much to Mineta's apparent delight. "U.A prides itself on its freedom. You are free to use your Quirks however you want!"

'_Free to use our Quirks however we want, huh?'_ thought Kyosuke to himself. That probably meant that Todoroki and Bakugou would try and blast ahead immediately, using ice and explosions respectively. What could he do to ensure he wouldn't get caught up in that? If he tried to move ahead, they would immediately start attacking, after all.

In short, he needed an alien whose strong suits were defence _and_ speed.

And he had just the perfect alien for that.

The whip cracked in the air and Midnight's voice carried forward in a loud shout:

"START!"

As Kyosuke had predicted, Bakugou shot forward instantly, Todoroki closely behind him on a ramp of ice. The white-haired boy tried not to get squashed by the multitude of students squeezing against him as he manipulated his Omnitrix while running forward. Soon, the crowd thickened, pressing against him and trapping him quite efficiently.

"**And the obstacle race starts!"** boomed Present Mic over the announcer's…mic. That could get quite distracting if he didn't ignore it. "**It looks like quite a few students are having trouble bypassing the bottleneck! However, Bakugou and Todoroki are **_**explosively**_** blasting ahead! What do you make of this, Eraser?"**

"Why am I here?" questioned Aizawa-sensei in an annoyed fashion. Kyosuke couldn't help but laugh as he finally got past the narrower part of the pathway and slapped the watch face down.

Green light exploded outwards as his body grew bulkier and rounder, his arms thickening and face shrinking into his ever-expanding chest. White flesh rippled underneath round yellow armour and black claws erupted from round paw-like forelimbs.

Green eyes blinked and black lips slid into a grin, revealing sharp white teeth. _**"Cannonbolt!"**_

"**OH MY GOODNESS!"** Present Mic screamed in English as the big yellow…whatever Cannonbolt was curled up into a ball and shot forward like a bullet, students scrambling to get out of his way. **"Contestant Kirihara has shown us one of his many transformations- and **_**what**_** a transformation it is! He's scattering all the participants with ease, and nothing can hurt him within that shell! It's AWESOME, it's INCREDIBLE!"**

"YOU FUCKING LITTLE SHIT!" screamed Bakugou, enraged as Cannonbolt gained on him. While he couldn't exactly _see_ out of his shell, he was still aware of where he was and where he needed to go, and surprisingly enough, he could also talk and jump when curled up like this. He didn't exactly know how or why he could, and it sounded weird when he thought about it in human form, but as Cannonbolt it felt perfectly natural.

"I won't let you pass so easily!" Todoroki said warningly, a stream of frost emerging from his right side. However, Cannonbolt was a ninety-five-kilogram ball of pure muscle and keratinous shell. He would not be stopped by mere ice.

He could almost _taste_ Todoroki's shock as he ploughed through the ice as effortlessly as if it were paper. While Cannonbolt was fully prepared to continue advancing, the presence of several massive objects stopped him from doing so.

"**Ladies and gentlemen, the first obstacle!"** shouted the Voice Hero giddily. **"Presenting… ROBOWARS!"**

"That's the dumbest name on Earth," commented Aizawa dryly.

"**Well then, Eraser, how does ROBOTTACK sound?!"**

"Both of them are stupid. Just explain what this is already."

"**As stoic as always, Eraser! Well then, the first obstacle is pretty self-explanatory! A mass of robots, the same kind the students faced during the Hero Course entrance exam! Get past them quickly, students; y'all have a **_**lotta**_** ground to cover still!"**

'_Tch…he's right,'_ thought Cannonbolt, curling up into ball form and destroying a two-pointer with ease. From the crackling of heat in the air, he could tell that Bakugou was making short work of all the robots as well. _'Time to evade!'_

He rolled as fast as he could, dodging and leaping clean over several of the metal soldiers. Turning into Lodestar would be problematic as he would be forced to stay still to exercise his powers properly, and he didn't dare change into Fasttrack in such a tight space. He had more manoeuvrability as Cannonbolt, after all.

"Tch," Todoroki said irritably, from somewhere at his left. "If they'd already gone through this much trouble, I wish they would've brought something better. After all…my old man is watching."

Suddenly there was cold, cold, _cold_ everywhere…Todoroki must have frozen all the robots in one fell swoop. Cannonbolt grunted in irritation within his shell, but he wasn't too badly affected.

"You think this is enough to stop me?" yelled someone from behind him. Kirishima, most likely.

"I _really_ wouldn't do that," advised Todoroki as a crunch of metal was heard. "I froze them when they were unstable, so when the ice melts…"

'_They'll topple!'_ thought Cannonbolt in horror, as the gigantic zero-pointers did exactly that. No time to waste- he rolled forward with all his might, evading the falling robots by a _hair_.

'_I only hope Kirishima is okay,' _he thought to himself fervently.

The round yellow alien continued his charge- Bakugou had gotten ahead of him in all of the chaos. Soon, however, he uncurled, feeling the smooth stone pavement underneath change into rocky earth.

"**The second obstacle has been approached by Kirihara and Bakugou, with Todoroki right on their tail!" **yelled Present Mic.** "CANYON FALLS! Hopefully, you kids can fly- cause if you can't, better jump!"**

Cannonbolt couldn't fly, of course, but he knew an alien that could. The only problem was Bakugou- he did not want to be blasted out of the sky by the volatile youth. Turning into Big Chill would be too much of a risk, especially since there were chances of he not being able to turn intangible in time to evade the explosions.

Instead, he hit the Omnitrix on his chest, growing taller and more humanoid, his features sharpening into that of a feline's, muscles jutting out of his lengthening appendages and orange fur covering his body.

"_**RATH!"**_

The tiger-like alien jumped forward with amazing agility, Present Mic shouting all the time. Rath grinned as he cleared the canyon and continued to run, catching up to Bakugou while sensing that Todoroki was not far behind.

"I remember you!" yelled Bakugou, enraged, as Rath levelled with him.

"Rath remembers you too!" returned the tiger-like alien, not losing his smile. "Rath hopes you're ready to lose to Rath again!"

"NEVER!" yelled the explosive blond.

"**Looks like we got ourselves a rivalry here! What's the story, Eraser?!"**

"Not telling."

However, they had to stop at the third obstacle, which seemed to be a minefield of sorts. Bakugou simply blasted ahead and Todoroki crossed on his ice, but Rath had no choice but to stop cold, much to his displeasure.

'_Now what?'_ he thought to himself. _'Wait a minute…_minefields_. And mines are made of metal.'_

"Rath's gonna come back another time!" he bellowed before hitting the Omnitrix once more.

"_**Lodestar!"**_ shouted the organo-metallic alien triumphantly as he ran forward, invisible waves rippling outward. "Metal…meet _magnetism_!"

Not a single mine touched Lodestar as he caught up with Bakugou and Todoroki. Both tried to overtake him once more, but Lodestar had the advantage of not needing to worry about the mines. Conversely, as he was using his magnetic powers, they were either pushed deeper into the dirt or being flung about in the open, forcing the two students to dodge to avoid getting hit.

As he crossed the minefield, he transformed back to his human form and ran as hard as he could, lungs filling with oxygen and heart pounding a violent tattoo against his ribcage. _'Faster, faster, _faster_!'_

The finish line was just there….

"**AND KYOSUKE KIRIHARA HAS TAKEN THE WIN FOR HIMSELF! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE SHAPESHIFTER WHO SEEMS TO BE CAPABLE OF ANYTHING HAS COMPLETED THE OBSTACLE COURSE IN A CLEAN VICTORY!"** screamed Present Mic. **"SHOUTO TODOROKI, SON OF ENDEAVOUR, HAS COME SECOND, AND KATSUKI BAKUGOU, THE EXPLOSIVE MACHINE, HAS COME THIRD! GIVE IT UP FOR THESE YOUNG MEN!"**

"You're too loud…" muttered Aizawa-sensei.

Kyosuke leaned backwards, filling his lungs with the sweet air of victory.

Bakugou, however, stalked toward him immediately, his eyes flaming red and teeth gritted in anger. "You," he growled, seizing Kyosuke's shirt collar. "Why didn't you use Fasttrack?"

"W-what?" asked the white-haired boy, startled.

"Why. Didn't. You. Use. Fasttrack?" Bakugou repeated, a vein pulsing in his neck. "You holding back on us, you fucking asshole?"

"I-I wasn't," Kyosuke stammered, before regaining his senses and pushing Bakugou back. "I wasn't holding anything back!"

"Like hell you weren't," growled Bakugou, sneering at him contemptuously. Behind him, Todoroki said nothing, but the look in his eyes told him that he agreed with what the blond was saying. "You didn't transform into the fastest alien in your repertoire. Hell, you didn't even go Big Chill! That's sayin' a lot about how much you're putting into this."

"I had a _reason_ for not going Fasttrack or Big Chill-" snarled Kyosuke, a part of him wondering why Bakugou had bothered memorizing their names, but he didn't give him a chance to explain.

"If you're holding back on us- and I think you are- I will _kill_ you," growled Bakugou. Kyosuke could tell that he actually meant it. "You callin' us weak? Taking _pity_ on us by not transforming into the one alien that could've ended us instantly?"

"That's not- you would've exploded me the _instant_ I transformed into Fasttrack or Big Chill!" yelled Kyosuke. "I went Cannonbolt because he wouldn't be affected by your explosions or Todoroki's ice! And what the hell, why am I even justifying myself to you? You're a jerk! You've always been a jerk! It's not like I even _needed_ Fasttrack or Big Chill to win anyway!"

Bakugou's eyes widened in rage, and it was then that Kyosuke realized he'd gone too far. He tensed, waiting for the punch.

It never came.

"I," said Bakugou quietly, anger almost bursting out of his voice, "will make you _eat_ those words. If you're not using your full power, I will _make_ you. I'll show the world that no matter how many watches or aliens you get, you will _never_ beat me."

Kyosuke stared back silently. _'Too late for that, Bakugou,' _he thought vitriolically.

The blond glared at him for a while longer before leaving; other students were collecting in the plaza, Kendou, Ashido and Kirishima included. He would have gone to congratulate them, but they seemed exhausted. This was not surprising; none of them, except perhaps Ashido, had Quirks suited to an obstacle race. Maybe a little later…

As the last student (Aoyama, looking like his stomach had imploded) straggled in, Midnight raised her whip. "Thirty-two students have qualified! And now, to the next stage!"

"We aren't getting a break?" said Uraraka to Iida, confused, as the roulette game started once more. "As expected of U.A, I guess…"

Another set of kanji, blue this time, flashed onto the screen.

_**Event 9: Capture the Flag.**_

"And the second event has been decided! It's Capture the Flag!" yelled Midnight over the microphone, the audience screaming frenetically. "The rules of the game are simple. Each of you shall divide into four teams of eight, and each team will be assigned a flag and a base! The first two teams to end up with two flags in their bases will advance to the next round! Oh, and just to clarify, one of these flags may be the one they started with."

Kyosuke tensed in anticipation. Capture the flag, eh? That sounded interesting. If he teamed up with the right people and played the game smart, they could win. Perhaps by assigning four people the job of capturing a flag and leaving the other four to defend their own…ah- but what if the teams were randomized?-

That was when _it_ happened.

Out of nowhere, a massive black portal opened up above in the sky, many in the audience gasping at the sight of it. It felt malignant and oppressive, and from the look on Midnight's face, this wasn't part of Capture the Flag.

"What the fuck?!" screamed Bakugou.

"What's happening? What's with that portal?" asked Uraraka, scared and shaking next to him. The public was yelling and pointing at it, which did absolutely nothing to help.

Could this be Kurogiri's doing? Kyosuke shuddered at the thought of encountering the League of Villains so soon, images of the U.S.J- the _Nomu_\- pervading his mind. But no, it couldn't be. His portals hadn't looked like that. They hadn't had purple smoke swirling around them and outlining their boundaries.

"Everyone, stay calm!" a voice shouted from the terrace above the audience which was on the same level as the Teacher's Area. Endeavour, his face set in a scowl as he looked towards the swirling menace, flames burning across his face and shaped like facial hair. It did little to reassure the screaming crowd, which was clearly on the verge of panicking.

What happened next simply added to Kyosuke's and the student body's collective shock. A gigantic spaceship-looking thing, sleek and olive-green with black windows and other strange accoutrements, slowly descended from the black portal, adding to the public frenzy. There was no doubt that this was not an Earthling creation, nor had anything like it been seen before.

It was at this moment that the Omnitrix started to beep loudly and glow yellow, with Kyosuke peering at it in shock. Nothing like this had ever happened before, and he was scared and unsure of what to do._ 'What the hell is going on?'_

Suddenly, a _voice_ emanated from it, which almost made him leap into the air like a fucking rabbit. _"Uncalibrated DNA detected. Scanning initiated,"_ it said, sounding neither female nor male. Confused, he tried to manipulate it by pressing the dial, to which the voice said, _"Function not available. Please stand by."_

"What the fuck is with that thing?" snarled Bakugou, eyes trained warily on the yellow glow of the watch.

"I- I don't know!" stammered Kyosuke, his breaths coming quicker and shorter. "This has never happened before!"

The ship halted in mid-air, which finally prompted Midnight to take action. "All of you, go!" she shouted. "Get out of here this instant and to the waiting area!"

The students all moved as one, united in their fear of the unknown and scrambling towards the doors of the waiting area. Kyosuke, however, could not move. His Omnitrix apparently having performance issues had left him shaking and frozen in place, his knees trembling and feet glued to the ground. He tried to run, and did not succeed.

A hand yanked on his arm with surprising strength, almost pulling him off his feet. "Kirihara-kun, let's go!" Kendou yelled. Kyosuke's legs started to move of their own accord, allowing him to keep up with her as she ran towards the waiting area. Much to his worry, his Omnitrix did not stop glowing yellow, nor did it look like it was going to stop anytime soon.

'_Uncalibrated DNA…does that mean there are _other aliens_ in that ship? And the Omnitrix is trying to collect their DNA? Why would it do something like that?'_

One thing was clear, however; he had to let someone know about this. When All Might, in his muscular form, passed by them looking worried, he grabbed his arm. "All Might!" he whisper-yelled, trying not to draw any attention towards them. "The Omnitrix is acting weird. It keeps saying something about uncalibrated DNA and scanning for it. I think there are other aliens on that ship; aliens like I can transform into."

"Aliens?" asked All Might, eyes widening in surprise. When Kyosuke nodded, he sighed. "Very well, I'll look into it." He strode away, affixing a reassuring smile on his face. "No need to fear!" he shouted to the terrified citizens. "I am here!"

Through the windows of the waiting area, Kyosuke could see four people in white spacesuits with red circles on the chest area exit the ship using floating platforms, each carrying a strange gun-looking object on the left part of their waists. After alighting from the platform (and facing the platoon of heroes assigned to referee or guard the Sports Festival, including All Might, Endeavour, Midnight, Present Mic and Aizawa-sensei, the seeming leader of the group removed his helmet, revealing the face of a handsome, older man of Western looks with a head of dark brown hair liberally streaked with grey. His eyes were stern and trained specifically onto All Might, who had stepped forward to face him.

However, once the rest of them removed their helmets, Kyosuke realized that some of them, more specifically _two_ of them, were not human at all; one of them had red skin, four orange eyes and a black stripe on their bald head. The other, much to his shock, looked_ exactly _like Fasttrack_,_ except for the fact that their eyes were a dark shade of amber, not Fasttrack's bright green. The last one was a man of similar looks to the leader, with long black hair and light skin.

Kendou's grip on his arm tightened significantly. "Kirihara-kun, that creature over there…it looks exactly like Fasttrack," she said, her voice carefully controlled and inadvertently echoing his own thoughts.

"Yeah, that's weird," commented Kyosuke- way to understate the situation- not paying attention to the fact that she had not yet let go of his arm.

It was at this moment that his Omnitrix started 'speaking' once more. _"Alien DNA sample acquired. Scan complete."_ With a final beep, the watch started glowing green once more.

"Wait, what?" asked Kirishima, who had come up behind them. Judging from his tone, he was completely perplexed. "Alien DNA sample acquired?"

Kendou, looking back and forth at the red-skinned alien, who also unnervingly seemed to have four arms, and the Omnitrix, figured it out faster than anyone else. "Perhaps you can transform into that red alien, now," she said excitedly. "It said 'alien DNA sample acquired'; that means it has that red alien's DNA now! That should mean you can now transform into it!"

"But why would it do something like that?" asked Kyosuke, frowning slightly. And what did that imply about the Omnitrix's origins? Did that mean it was an alien creation itself?

"Okay, what the _fuck_ is going on?" asked Bakugou flatly. "What the hell are you idiots talking about?"

Before any of them could respond appropriately, the students all yelled simultaneously; the alien resembling Fasttrack was zipping over towards them with frightening speed, despite still being in the spacesuit. Before Kyosuke could even touch the dial on his Omnitrix in order to defend himself, they had opened the doors, picked him up by his collar and ran back to their group before depositing him none too gently on the ground.

Kyosuke could still hear Kendou, Kirishima and Ashido yelling in outrage from the waiting room, and it was not helping the nausea that had overcome him on the blue-furred alien's transportation methods. Going at the speed of sound was fine as Fasttrack. It was not fine as Kyosuke Kirihara.

"Are you all right, my boy?" asked All Might, kneeling beside him in concern. Kyosuke was far too dizzy and winded to speak, but before he could so much as nod, Endeavour spoke for him in a low, gruff voice, "He's not a student of U.A for nothing, All Might. He can take care of himself."

The Number One Hero ignored him, rubbing Kyosuke's back gently before he could gather enough strength to stand up. "Next time," he gasped at the unapologetic alien, "you wait for me to transform."

The younger of the two humans in the white suits glared at the Fasttrack lookalike, speaking in perfect English, "You didn't have to be so harsh with him, Helen."

'_Helen?'_ thought Kyosuke in confusion, managing to understand the English perfectly (he mentally offered thanks to Present Mic). _'Does that mean that alien's a female?'_

'Helen' proved his hypothesis by shrugging her shoulders languidly and speaking back in what was unmistakably a female voice, if not far higher-pitched than normal. Then again, Fasttrack's voice was also considerably high, even if he was male. "I wanted to get this over with. Besides, it's your fault for sending me to pick him up."

The older man, however, was watching him intently. "Transform? What do you mean?" he asked, switching fluidly to Japanese that was fluent if not slightly accented.

"Um," said Kyosuke, gesturing towards Helen, who raised a black eyebrow, "I can transform into…her. Uh, that is to say, her species."

"You mean a Citrakayah," said the younger man, who upon closer inspection seemed related to the older one. Perhaps he was his son? Or nephew?

"_Shi-tura-kah-yah_?" asked Kyosuke, confused. The older man chuckled. "It's what we call them. Could you please demonstrate, _Misutah_ Kirihara?"

"Um. Okay," said Kyosuke after receiving a nod from All Might, activating his Omnitrix and with a press of the watch face, was surrounded by green light.

"_**Fasttrack!"**_ he yelled, raising his arms to the air, much to the apparent astonishment of the white suits, and Endeavour. The man looked like he was going to pop a vein in his neck. Or forehead.

"Okay, I like him better now," smirked Helen, still in English.

"So, you _do_ have an Omnitrix," said the younger man interestedly, ignoring the blue-furred alien.

Fasttrack almost choked on his own spit, even as he transformed back into his human form. "You…you know about the Omnitrix?!"

"Indeed," laughed the older man. "My name is Max Tennyson. I'm the current leader of an intergalactic peacekeeping force called the Plumbers, as I have already explained to your, ah, _superiors_ here."

"Not that any of us believe you," snarled Endeavour.

Max ignored him. "The Tetramand over there is called Manny Armstrong-" the red alien waved with his two right arms- "the very rude Citrakayah is Helen Wheels-" Helen simply snorted at that- "and the only other human here is my nephew, Joel." The black-haired man grinned cheerfully.

'_A Teh-tura-man-dou?'_ thought the honestly bewildered white-haired boy. And an intergalactic peacekeeping force? Called the _Plumbers_? That was... oh man. Just... what.

Endeavour did not appreciate being ignored. "We have no evidence that this intergalactic peacekeeping force, the _Plumbers_-" he said the word as if it was something that he had encountered in a dustbin- "even exists. I suggest you tell us the truth before I am forced to interrogate all of you in a police precinct."

Max sighed, completely unfazed by the Flame Hero's threats. "We _are_ telling the truth," he explained patiently. "We could not reveal the existence of the Plumbers to anyone as it would have compromised our efforts to keep intergalactic life a secret. The less each planet knows about its neighbours, the better. Could you imagine knowing that only a few thousand miles from Earth exists a race with pyrokinesis that makes yours look like a joke?"

Endeavour's glare only sharpened at that.

"And," continued Max, "had this race known of Earth's existence, they would have invaded it a long time ago. That is why the Plumbers were created; an alliance of creatures across the Milky Way united in stopping every nefarious activity committed beyond planetary boundaries and keeping peace on a galaxy-wide scale."

Kyosuke's eyes widened. That sounded unbelievably insane.

Joel took over from there. "Now, however, we've detected the presence of incredible technology, on a level Earth is incapable of. That has forced us to reveal ourselves to Earth at last." He nodded towards the watch on his wrist, his face serious. "The Omnitrix. That sort of power in the hands of a high school student is something we cannot fathom. That sort of power in an _Earthling's_ hands is something we cannot fathom. That is why I must regretfully ask you to hand the Omnitrix over to us, now."

Kyosuke gaped. "Hell no!" he snapped, ignoring Midnight trying to stifle laughter at his vehement refusal. "And even if I wanted to, I can't take it off!"

All Might held up a hand, stopping his tirade. His expression was grave despite the winning smile on his face. "Young Kirihara is responsible and skilled and has the makings of a great Hero. He is also in the best heroics institution the world has to offer. Why don't you give him a chance to do good with the device?"

"And besides, we are not going to let strangers like you run off with that watch," said Aizawa, eyes glowing menacingly. "How can we trust you?"

Max ran a hand through his hair, looking suddenly tired. "The real question is, how can _we_ trust _you_? We Plumbers are allied with the most intelligent race in the universe, one member of whom made the Omnitrix. The fact of the matter is that we have a greater claim over it than you do."

Kyosuke was shocked. "Wait a minute. You're allied with the race that _made_ this?"

"Correct. The Galvans." Max pulled out a rounded disc not dissimilar to the one which had been sent to him after the Entrance Exams were over. A hologram came up from the centre, displaying a three-dimensional figure of an alien with a humanoid body, with round, bulbous eyes either side of its head and slit pupils in the middle of each one. It was dressed in a dark green robe and had short extensions from its chin and below its eyes that resembled a beard.

"They are incredibly intelligent and far more developed than any race in the Milky Way, or in any other galaxy in which the Plumbers have authority," continued Max. "The one displayed here is called Azmuth, the smartest one of them all. He is the Omnitrix's creator, and as you have probably already seen, the technology is far beyond anything Earth has ever witnessed. While the one you have is an inferior prototype, it is still too dangerous to leave here unattended. Hence, our request that you surrender it."

The white-haired boy spluttered. "_Inferior prototype?!_ Don't tell me there are other variations of the Omnitrix that are more powerful than this one!"

"There are, actually," informed Manny in amusement. "That one there's one of Azmuth's earliest prototypes."

"Come now, gentlemen and lady," All Might said calmly. "Like I said, let him keep the watch. He can become a Hero capable of amazing things!"

"Or he could become a villain who would use it to destroy the world," said Helen bluntly. Aizawa and Midnight snarled at that. Even All Might's grin dropped slightly and Endeavour's eyes widened in anger.

Kyosuke, thankfully, had not heard this exchange. He was too preoccupied with what Manny had said, shaking his head in wonder. "And here I was thinking Gyakusetsu-sensei made it all along…" he pondered aloud.

The leader of the Plumbers' eyes widened. "Hang on. Did you just mention a Gyakusetsu-sensei?"

Joel, Helen and Manny mirrored his surprise. "Gyakusetsu, as in Paradox? _Professor_ Paradox?" asked the latter one of them (again in English).

Kyosuke eyed them warily. "That is what Gyakusetsu-sensei means, yes…"

This caused an instant uproar.

"_Paradox_ gave that to him?!" screeched Helen. Kyosuke winced.

"But how could he have even gotten his hands on an Omnitrix?" asked Manny, stunned. "I mean, he knows Azmuth better than anyone, but even _he_ couldn't have gotten one."

"Bu-but this changes everything," stammered Joel excitedly. "If Professor Paradox gave him the Omnitrix, I'm sure as hell not taking it away from him. That guy does what he does for a reason."

"But what could that reason be?" mused Max.

'_What on Earth are they talking about?'_ thought Kyosuke, utterly bewildered.

Apparently, Endeavour had also had enough. "WHO OR WHAT IS A GYAKUSETSU?" he raged apoplectically. Everyone flinched at the Number Two Hero's anger, except All Might and Max.

"Professor Paradox is one of our acquaintances," explained the latter of the above two. "No one knows his origins or his true name, mostly because he's himself forgotten them. However, he possesses an incredibly powerful Space-Time Travel Quirk, because of which he's understood the space-time continuum better than anyone else."

"He was also driven insane in the process," contributed Joel cheerfully. "Though after a century or so, he got bored of that too."

"_Bored of_-?!" croaked Midnight.

"Anyway," continued Joel, "Paradox was very smart even before he started messing with space and time using his Quirk. It earned him a fair few intergalactic enemies too! Now, he knows more about time and the future more than anyone. It's why the Plumbers regard him as a threat, even if he's not a hostile."

Max took it from there. "Considering all of what we've just revealed to you- most of which is highly sensitive information that cannot be revealed to anyone else- you might understand now why we won't take that watch away from you, now. If Paradox has done something like this- letting an Earthling take possession of an Omnitrix- that means he's done it for a very important reason. I'm sorry for wasting your time, but we'll be taking your leave now. Goodbye."

Joel, Helen and Manny held up peace signs before repositioning their helmets.

"W-wait!" yelled Kyosuke, reaching out a hand as they began alighting onto their platforms once more. There was so much he still didn't understand, so much he wanted- no, _needed_\- to understand. Who was Azmuth? Why had he created the Omnitrix? What did it mean to have an Omnitrix in the bigger scheme of things? Why had Gyakusetsu-sensei given the Omnitrix to him? What had he meant Kyosuke to accomplish with it?

Would he be happy or disappointed with the progress he'd made with it so far, after having it for nearly a year?

The ship disappeared into the sky, and the portal closed with nary a sound.

It was as if it had never existed.

* * *

**So, exams are over. That's a good thing, cause that means one more chapter should be up by this week. However, a new set of exams begins a few weeks from now, so if you want more updates, you're probably not getting them after January begins. Sorry.**

**To that one dude/dudette who wanted a harem with Mina and Mei...uh, I may have other plans for them, but it's an interesting idea.**

**Please leave a review! If it's appreciation, it's welcome! If it's constructive criticism, it's even more welcome! If its unnecessary hate, it is most definitely not welcome, and I'll have Big Chill freeze it before Swampfire burns it!**

**If you want more stuff for More Than A Man, I'm experiencing a bit of writer's block with that story. I'm really sorry, once more.**

**And in case it needs to be said, I don't own Ben 10 or Boku no Hero Academia. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this. And I made All Might's time limit a little longer, as he still has One for All. As for who's getting it, I'm not so sure myself.**

**Until next time, on It's Hero Time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Naomasa Tsukauchi's eyes did not leave the T.V screen for a good amount of time, even after the ship from space departed from the Earth and back into wherever the portal led to. He held a mug of half-finished, rapidly cooling coffee in his right hand, the T.V remote in the other.

He sighed slowly, absently leaning further into his couch and putting the remote down to rub at the faint shadow of stubble appearing on his face. The white-haired boy, Kirihara, was on screen and looked devastated, arm still reaching out towards where the ship had gone. All Might and Midnight were seemingly trying to console him, while Eraserhead, Endeavour and Vlad King exchanged dark looks.

He had not slept for almost forty hours, having had to coordinate the police providing security to the Sports Festival and ensure every exit and entrance was guarded by at least two of his men. He had made sure that anyone who wished to enter the colosseum would first have to pass through a certain man in his employ whose Quirk allowed him to access memories. If someone was affiliated with the League, they would find out immediately.

Of course, had Naomasa had his way, he would have been with them, using his Lie-Detecting Quirk as an extra layer of security. But Yagi had taken one look at the bags underneath his eyes and had ordered him home. It did not pay to be the Number One Hero's best friend sometimes, though to be fair he had not resisted over-much. He had been far too tired to do so.

He had reached his one-bedroom apartment at eight o'clock in the morning, determined to put his feet up and relax with a cup of coffee and a plate of bacon in hand, ready for a good show. And he'd got a good show- at least for the first fifteen minutes. (What _was_ that Kirihara's Quirk, anyhow?)

But now. Now, everything had changed.

The Plumbers had arrived, and as far as Naomasa could tell from looking at the T.V screen, they'd been attracted by some high-level technology possessed by Kirihara, of all people. So, it hadn't been a Quirk he'd used to transform. It had been a device of some sort.

But what had caused them to leave? What could have made the Plumbers retreat?

Naomasa didn't know. But what he did know was that he could no longer sit idle.

He got up from his couch, ignoring his phone ringing and lighting up to show his sister's contact ID. No doubt she had realized the same thing he had… but it didn't matter. He could always call her back later.

Naomasa swallowed as he made his way towards a dusty, oaken drawer. The drawer that had not been opened for almost twenty years. Ever since his father died and he'd moved here after the completion of his police training, that drawer had not been touched even once.

He opened it gingerly, hands shaking. Inside lay a folded grey uniform with a black helmet. It looked unassuming at first glance, but Naomasa knew that its wearer could be thrown into an active volcano, the tundra, even outer space…and emerge perfectly fine.

He pushed it aside, picking up a round flat badge. This badge showed two black triangles connected at their points in a green background. This was the badge his father had devoted his entire being to. This was the badge he had sacrificed his life for.

Naomasa finally spoke in English, his voice brittle. "Activate Plumber's badge. Code Galvan-122."

The green background started to glow as a voice that sounded neither male nor female spoke. "Command code accepted. Request identification."

He swallowed once more. "…. Naomasa Tsukauchi."

"DNA scan recognized and accepted. The Plumbers shall connect with you shortly."

As the radioactive glow slowly petered out, Naomasa could only hope for the best in the coming years.

* * *

"**Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome back to the second round of the U.A Annual Sports Festival! Everybody say **_**HEY**_**!"** screamed Present Mic into the microphone, eliciting a loud, though comparatively muted response. Not that it was surprising.

What was actually surprising was the fact that the crowd had reacted at all. And the fact that a secret organization devoted to promoting peace throughout galaxies existed that not even All Might and Endeavour had known about until today. And the fact that he possessed technology so great that the aforementioned organization would try to take it from him. And the fact that the person who had given said technology to him was a mad scientist who knew more about the space-time continuum than anyone in the Milky Way, and that included the supposed smartest being in that said galaxy who also happened to be a midget grey alien.

But hey, at least he could now turn into a new alien! Silver lining, he reflected dryly.

Fifteen minutes after the ship had disappeared back into the portal, during which All Might, Endeavour and Kamui Woods cleared up the situation with the audience and the media, Midnight had reconvened the Sports Festival. The second event had already been decided; Capture the Flag. Four randomly-decided teams of eight, each having a flag of their own, would attempt to steal at least one more flag to add to their collection. The instant two teams each had two flags of their own, the game ended.

What was scary about the situation was the fact that capturing two flags didn't automatically guarantee your team a spot in the finals. It was only when _two_ teams had two flags each that the game ended. In other words, if a team captured a second flag, they would have to keep guarding it as well as their original until another team did the same, lest someone steal it. _'That opens up a whole new avenue of possibilities. Not to mention the fact that whichever team captures two flags first will become the number one target. And that Kendou, Kirishima and Ashido aren't on my team.' __Ugh_.

And there was the other ingredient in the mix. His new alien. From what he could discern from its hologram, it had four muscular arms (as he'd seen on Manny Armstrong), a bulky stature, skin from which protrusions jutted out at regular intervals, and feet with a total of two toes each. Why he wasn't freaked out by that more than he was, Kyosuke did not know.

At a glance, its power was easily discernible. Super strength, most likely. Probably a lack of agility, much like Humungosaur. Then again, it wasn't as if his initial assessment was always correct. He'd misjudged Lodestar and Upgrade terribly when he'd first turned into them, having viewed them as far too selective and useless in most situations, until of course he figured out how to control their powers properly. For all he knew, this new one had telekinesis. Or super sight like Hatsume- it had four eyes, after all.

"Kirihara-kun?" came a soft voice behind him. He turned around to see Uraraka giving him a worried look. She and Iida, who'd placed twenty-first and fifth respectively, were in his team. "Are you all right?"

Kyosuke smiled slightly. "I'm fine," he said reassuringly. "Just thinking about what I should name this new alien."

"How about Buff Red?" asked the pink-cheeked girl teasingly. Everyone had seen Manny's face (and therefore, his red skin) after he'd pulled off his helmet, and his bulky stature had been easy to make out even from a distance. Iida peered at her sharply. "Uraraka-kun, that is a highly asinine name! To think that Kirihara-kun would bestow such a name upon one of his noble forms is unimaginable."

"Dude," said Kyosuke, unimpressed. "That is way better than most of the names I've come up with so far. But I think I'll go with… Muscle Man? Brawny?" The looks on their faces were indication enough for him to hastily change track. "Wait…four arms- er, uh… how about Four Arms!?" he asked excitedly.

Uraraka groaned loudly. Iida put a finger to his chin, thinking intently. "Well, it is a bit too literal for my tastes, but it has a nice ring to it! Four Arms it is!"

Kyosuke cheered internally as Uraraka, outraged, turned on her friend. "You like _Four_ _Arms_ better than Buff Red?! Could've at least gone with something like Quad Smack-"

"Oi, Class A!" came a voice angrily. The four of them turned to see the same grey-haired young man from two weeks ago, the day Kyosuke had learned about his brush with expulsion from Aizawa-sensei, glaring at them intensely. "Have you come here just to waste time? We only have like fifteen minutes to come up with a plan! Hadn't you been listening to Midnight-sensei?!"

Kyosuke shot a warning glance at Uraraka, who looked on the verge of snarling right back and saw Iida restrain her with a ramrod-straight hand out of the corner of his eye. "There's no need to get unfriendly," he responded soothingly. "What's your name? I'm Kirihara."

"As if we wouldn't know," mumbled a Gen Ed student, one of three in the team. One of them was the purple-haired boy who'd antagonized Bakugou, though he wasn't the one speaking. "First-place Hero Course twat."

"_Kanji_!" scolded the third Gen Ed student, a girl with striking sunshine-yellow hair, which was now turning red. Turning back to the startled Kyosuke, she bowed low. Now blue was bleeding from the bottom of her hair, which made for an interesting colour combination of blue roots, red middle and yellow tips. "I'm so sorry for his behaviour. I'm Kibun, from Class 1-C. This is Kanji, and this is Shinsou." She indicated the purple-haired boy, who nodded slightly, not taking his eyes off him.

"O-okay," said Kyosuke, gulping slightly. How come there were _three_ Gen Ed students on his team? Had he drawn that short a stick in the lottery? "So, uh, do we…start planning or-?"

"Yeah," said Kibun, looking relieved, her hair now yellow once more. "Yeah, let's do that."

"Hold up now," spoke a blond boy who seemed to be in 1-B along with the grey-haired boy. He had on a sinister smile as he stared Kyosuke down. "Do you actually think that you are the de facto leader just because you're first place? So arrogant. As expected of Class 1-A, I suppose." He sneered. "Those who think they're so much better than us just because they took down a bunch of namby-pamby villains due to sheer luck."

Kyosuke spluttered. "That's not-!"

"Namby-pamby?!" yelled Uraraka, looking well and truly pissed off. "You try'na start something, eh?!"

"Lay off, Monoma," murmured the grey-haired boy quietly, ignoring the brunette's outburst, though the Gen Ed students seemed appropriately intimidated by it. The blond- Monoma- rolled his eyes.

"Right," said Kyosuke, mouth dry as he stared down everyone else watching. "Right. Considering there are eight of us, I was thinking we could pool some ideas, discuss and come up with a plan as quickly as we can. Um… what are everyone's Quirks?"

Monoma rolled his eyes again. "Very well, Fearless Leader. My Quirk is called Copy. It lets me copy someone's Quirk for up to ten minutes by touching them. However, I can only copy two Quirks at a time, and I cannot use both of them simultaneously."

Kibun spoke up next. "My Quirk is Mood-Hair. It's probably obvious what it does…" she said sheepishly. Her hair turned a light shade of lilac.

"Mine is Penmanship," said Kanji. "Also obvious what it does, I guess…"

The grey-haired boy stepped forward. "My name, since you asked for it, is Tetsutetsu," he growled. "My Quirk is called Steel." He demonstrated a fist covered with a thick sheet of the titular metal. "Lets me cover my skin with this. The time depends on how much iron I consume."

"I'm Uraraka," said Uraraka, who was apparently now back to her docile self, though her gaze would meander over to Kanji and Monoma occasionally in abject disdain. "My Quirk is called Zero Gravity. It gives me the power to take away something's weight. If the object weighs too much, or I do too many at the same time, I puke," she continued, looking a little embarrassed.

"My name is Iida!" expostulated the bespectacled boy seriously. "My Quirk is Engine! It allows me to run at high speeds, but I cannot use them if they overheat or run out of fuel. Orange juice is what sustains them." Ah, so that explained the bottle of fruit juice clipped to Iida's pants.

Last was the purple-haired boy, Shinsou, who looked nervous, for some reason. "My Quirk is called Brainwashing. It lets me…brainwash someone into doing what I tell them if I talk to them and they respond. Sharp sensations can break them out of it, though."

"…so, you _are_ a monster, like Bakugou had said," breathed Uraraka. "That's, like, the best-suited Quirk for heroics I've ever heard of. It's such a shame you aren't in the Hero Course!" Shinsou looked so shocked by that statement that it was almost funny.

Kyosuke agreed with her, however. Having such a powerful Quirk on their side would definitely turn the tide in their favour.

"Oh, I don't know," said Monoma snidely. "It sounds like a villain's Quirk to me, doesn't it?"

Kibun and Kanji turned on him sharply even as Shinsou shrank back, looking resentful. "Dude, could you _not_ be such a dick?" demanded Kanji angrily. Kibun merely glared at the unrepentant blond, saying nothing for the moment. Her hair was, however, a deep crimson, which communicated her feelings clearly.

"Yeah, Monoma," muttered Tetsutetsu. "Lay off, why don't 'cha?"

"Tch," sneered Monoma. "And what about Fearless Leader? _He_ hasn't explained his Quirk yet. Oh, wait…his ability _isn't_ a Quirk." His eyes bored into Kyosuke's grey ones. "We all saw those things in white suits try and take that watch from you. How will the rest of the school feel when they find out you got in here using a…hack?"

"It's not a hack," snarled Kyosuke. "This watch lets me transform into ten- no, eleven- different creatures, each with its own special ability. It's no different from a Quirk."

"Hmm…I don't know what to feel about you cheating the system like this, really, Kirihara," smiled the blond. "Honestly, I don't understand why Nezu-kouchou's allowing you to keep that watch. Had I been in his place, I would have taken it off and given it to someone who could do some actual good with it. Unlike _you_."

Kyosuke did not bother mentioning that no one could take the watch off, including himself. "Good for me that you're not the principal of U.A, I suppose," he said coolly. "Now, if you're done wasting time…"

Monoma, thankfully, saw fit to shut up after that. Probably because Uraraka and Kanji were both giving him murderous looks and Kibun seemed ready to rip him apart. Shinsou, surprisingly, had not reacted at all to Monoma's calling his Quirk fit for villainy. He was only staring at the ground with a mixture of resentment and resignation on his face.

Had Monoma perhaps opened up an old wound of some sort?

Well, it wasn't as if he could do anything about it now. They needed to plan and they were running out of time. "Listen up," he called, getting everyone's attention immediately. "Out of every team here, we're one of the worst in terms of direct offensive power." This was nothing more than the simple truth, validated more by the fact that Monoma wasn't bothering to argue. Team B had Bakugou _and_ Todoroki, and as if that wasn't enough, they also had Kendou.

Team C had a powerful battering ram in Tokoyami and his Dark Shadow, and a brilliant mind in Yaoyorozu.

And lastly, Team D had Kirishima, Ashido, Kaminari (the suicide bomb wonder) and Hatsume, who'd come fourth in the Obstacle Race right behind Bakugou. Considering her Upgraded tech, this wasn't very surprising.

"So," continued Kyosuke, "we won't attack right away; we'll get Shinsou out front." The aforementioned young man looked up in surprise. "I'll cover for him with Monoma while he brainwashes as many people as he can. Wait a minute… Shinsou, you _can_ brainwash multiple people at the same time, right?"

"Yeah," confirmed Shinsou. "Though the command I give can't be very specific or very vague. It has to tread the line between specific and vague as far as possible or I get a headache."

"So…. will a command like 'attack your teammates' fit the bill?" questioned Kyosuke.

"Yeah, but only for five, six people tops."

"That's fine," said Kyosuke reassuringly. "The hard part will be getting people to respond to you… so Monoma, I want you to copy Shinsou's Quirk, try and net people along with him. Work together as much as you can. Now, Uraraka and Iida-" the two snapped to attention- "the two of you are our flag-capturers. Iida, you carry her to some team's flag once Shinsou and Monoma have hit their limit- the team having the most people brainwashed, specifically- and Uraraka, you use your Quirk and toss it over to Kibun or Kanji. Tetsutetsu, your focus should be on keeping _our_ flag safe at any cost. I'll help you with that unless Iida and Uraraka are in a tight spot, or I'm covering for Shinsou and Monoma. Everyone got that?"

"Right!" said everyone at the same time, except Monoma who was frowning slightly in thought. "Wait, wait… you're sending only two people as our main offence?" He gestured towards Iida and Uraraka. "These two might get the flag, but they'll more than likely be met with resistance. The people Shinsou and I brainwash will more likely than not be the offence of each team. Their defences will be left intact."

Kyosuke frowned. "That's fair… guess I'll have no choice but to leave Tetsutetsu to guard the flag alone. I'll go with the offence when I'm not covering for the two of you."

"Fine," allowed Monoma. "The other two Gen Ed students must help him guard. Their Quirks may not be well-suited for this…but I assume that if they've made it to the second round, they can handle themselves." Kibun and Kanji just nodded.

"So," reaffirmed Kyosuke, looking at everyone for confirmation, "it's me, Uraraka and Iida going to capture the flag. We'll wait until Shinsou and Monoma net as many people as they can with Brainwashing. If anyone gets through us, or Monoma and Shinsou when we're gone, Tetsutetsu, Kibun and Kanji will handle them."

"Right," everyone nodded at the same time (for the second time).

Kyosuke grinned, clapping his hands. "All right," he said. "Let's go steal some flags!"

* * *

"Start!" yelled Midnight, firing a blank pistol into the air.

That was all it took to whip the crowd into a frenzy once more, back to its former enthusiasm due to Present Mic's commenting and All Might's presence. Kyosuke hung back behind Shinsou, who was yelling at some people from the Hero Course- a large young man with puffy lips and his praying mantis-resembling classmate. They responded angrily, apparently touched to the quick by what he'd said, only to halt with a glazed look in their eyes.

Shinsou grinned. "Attack your teammates!"

They turned around immediately, making for a boy with entirely black skin and white hair and Hatsume, who both looked extremely surprised. "H-hey, what's going on?!" yelled the latter (who was wearing an Upgraded jetpack), before hastily taking flight to avoid a swift punch from the large-lipped boy. The other wasn't as lucky, yelling as his jersey was ripped apart by the mantis-like one's blade arms.

Monoma was faring just as well as Shinsou, though it was visibly taking more effort for him to give a command. Nevertheless, he had managed to snag two more people in Hatsume's team, which seemed to be the one most intent on attacking his own. Where was Bakugou? And Todoroki, for that matter?

"**And starting us off with a bang, the competition of Capture-The-Flag!" **yelled Present Mic.** "Looks like Team D has wasted no time in attacking Team A, and similar with Team B and Team C! Just LOOK at these students go, ladies and gentlemen! YEAH!"**

That was when Kirishima, his skin already hardened to the point of resembling stone, barrelled past Monoma with ease, a sharp smile on his face as he made for Kyosuke. However, the white-haired boy was ready for him, his hand already pressing down onto the Omnitrix's raised watch-face as he transformed in a burst of green light. Muscle convoluted and hardened into purple crystal, eyes fused into a single orb and his palms exuded rainbow-coloured light in copious, blistering amounts.

"_**Chromastone!"**_ yelled the alien confidently, before dodging a swing from his friend and retaliating with a hard light-energy-boosted punch to his cheek. Kirishima bore it surprisingly well, nailing Chromastone with a strike to his abdomen and a kick at his chest.

The crystalline being grimaced slightly and fired a laser from his eye, the beam of light pushing the redhead back momentarily and making him lose his balance. Not for long, however; Kirishima found his footing easily, only for Chromastone to hit him several times, using fists, elbows and knee.

"Not going to be that easy!" yelled Kirishima, not even flinching from the assault. Chromastone jerked backwards in surprise; his fists had met considerable resistance from his friend's body. Had he actually kept up his Hardening for this long? He found the answer to his question as the redhead backhanded him with surprising viciousness and followed up with a perfect throw over his shoulder.

"Ugh!" yelled the crystalline being, falling to the ground as Kirishima sped past him. He tried a laser blast at his friend's leg, only for him to evade with ease.

"**Oh, looks like Kirihara of Team A's having trouble against Kirishima of Team D!" **screechedPresentMic**. "What d'you think the outcome of this bout's gonna be, Eraser?!"**

"I don't know and don't care."

'_I should have known!'_ Kyosuke mentally berated himself. _'Kirishima knows my manoeuvres too well and he has the advantage in close combat anyhow. It's time to try something new!'_

He hit the Omnitrix symbol on his chest and was bathed in green light as his frame completely changed, his chest cracking as it expanded and shoulders almost bursting out of their sockets with how massive they grew. He shot up until he was almost nine feet tall, head shortening and an extra pair of arms shooting out from his ribcage, each throbbing with hard muscle. His thighs bulged out. His feet tore and extended into two long toes as the transformation finished.

The next thing he felt was power. Incredible, overwhelming and terrific. His blood thrummed and heart pounded with bloodlust. Power, insatiable and hungering. Power, irresistible and seductive.

Four green eyes widened and four massive arms rose into the air as he yelled his name for the first time.

"_**FOUR ARMS!"**_

Kirishima looked back in surprise as Four Arms bounded towards him in a single leap, wide mouth set in a fanged grin as he lunged forward. His fist sank in his friend's torso with a mighty boom, the redhead's eyes bulging before he was slammed backwards. The red alien laughed loudly, not too worried about his friend- he had felt his Quirk activate as the punch connected. Kibun watched in astonishment, her hair going white, as Kirishima careened through the air before landing in a heap, still conscious but utterly demolished.

"**OH MY GAWD!"** screamed the Voice Hero for the umpteenth time. **"DID YOU SEE THAT?! That was just **_**brutal**_**!" **

"Kirihara!" yelled Kanji. "Or Four Arms, whatever! The redhead's still in the game- what do we do with him?"

Four Arms did not bother responding. He simply walked over to the feebly-stirring Kirishima and pressed a pressure point in his neck with a fat finger. His friend fainted instantly.

"There," he said in satisfaction. "Sorted."

With a mighty grunt, he leapt overhead, landing beside Uraraka and Iida with ease. For such a big and heavy alien, Four Arms covered a considerable amount of ground. Iida smiled at him. "It seems as if Four Arms is an extremely powerful alien, Kirihara-kun!"

"Buff Red, Iida, Buff Red," teased Uraraka, before turning serious. "Shinsou and Monoma've netted like six people total, four from D and two from C, including Ashido and Kaminari." Four Arms grinned at that. "We can make a move for D's flag, but we need to be _fast_."

"Got it," said Four Arms smoothly, pressing the dial on his left shoulder and transforming in a verdant shine.

"_**Rath!"**_ The tiger-like creature was a terrifying sight to behold as he flexed his muscles and displayed his six-inch-long iron-black claws. "All right, let's cause some pain!"

"Hurry it up, Fearless Leader!" snarked Monoma, his face set in concentration. "We're nearly at our limits, here!"

"Let me tell ya something, Monoma of Class 1-B!" roared Rath. "When you're at yer limits, ya break them like Rath breaks glass, rocks, or anything in general! That's what it means ta go _PLUS_ _ULTRA_!"

Monoma had on an expression that looked like shock, anger, and befuddlement all in one, and the rational part of Rath's brain couldn't even blame him. For his part, Shinsou looked like he was about to either laugh at Monoma's consternation or pass out from the strain of Brainwashing so many people at once. Clearly, he had never encountered an opportunity to exert his Quirk to this point.

"Ahh, I love this alien!" said Uraraka, her cheeks flushing pink as a wide smile grew on her face.

"Rath loves you too, Ochaco Uraraka!" grinned the tiger-like alien. The brunette just flushed pinker at that.

"We don't have much time!" warned Iida, who was surprisingly ignoring their antics. Rath grunted in agreement before bounding ahead on all fours, Iida running ahead of him after a moment with Uraraka on his back.

"Incoming!" shouted one of the two defenders of Team D's flag- two of the four members of Team D who weren't under the control of Brainwashing or being attacked by those who were. Much to Rath's annoyance, one of them was Hatsume. She must have fallen back in order to defend their flag…but it wasn't as if he could do anything about it now.

Rath roared in challenge, simultaneously springing at the other defender- an unassuming sandy-haired boy with coffee-coloured eyes- in a mighty leap. "ANTARIAN ARM-BAR!" he roared in English, swinging a fist at him with devastating speed, only for the boy to actually _block_ the strike with one hand without flinching.

The alien spluttered in surprise, backflipping to avoid the boy's retorting punch. This was an alien who'd toppled Bakugou almost effortlessly and who could splinter rocks without thinking. And a random student had blocked him with just one hand!

"How?!" he demanded furiously, only to catch sight of the boy's hands. They were gauntleted, the metallic black material shining with green circuit patterns. A thin strip of metal extended from each of them and down the boy's tracksuit, and joined with two boots, also glowing radioactive green against a background of black.

"Aw, come on!" complained Rath. "Rath is sick and tired of Support Course students using Upgraded stuff for their own agendas!"

"You know a word like 'agendas'?" asked the boy in surprise. "Hatsume's studies had suggested that this particular alien was of little intelligence, barely coherent enough to form sensible sentences."

Rath took offence to that. "I'LL SHOW YOU COHERENT, YA TRUMPED-UP LI'L SHIT!" he screamed.

He charged forward with blinding speed, the boy merely holding up his gauntlets once more. However, this time the alien was ready, his fists opening up to grab at the gauntlets and _pull_. The shrieking Support Course student was tugged completely off balance as the bipedal tiger began to swing him round and round, his high-pitched yells becoming more and more distorted as the momentum of the swings increased.

Rath finally let go, the unfortunate boy flying a long, long distance before tumbling to the ground.

"THAT'LL TEACH YA TA TALK DOWN TA _RATH_!" he screamed. The boy couldn't respond, his mind utterly addled by the insane amount of force the tiger-like alien had put into his throw. Not to mention that he had covered a distance of almost a hundred metres.

He turned around to check whether Uraraka and Iida had gotten the flag yet- which they hadn't. Hatsume was warding them off with her jetpack, which had elongated into an aeroplane of sorts, which Rath knew was complete with thrusters, missiles and infinite fuel and ammo. Uraraka was grimacing as a rocket-shaped missile just barely missed her, almost throwing Iida off balance as a result. _'Why the hell did my human form let them harvest Upgrade's cells, again?'_

Annoyed, he charged forward, bounding on top of the winged apparatus and clawing at it, trying to shred it to bits. "Break!" he yelled angrily. The steel did not give even an inch, nor did it even display a scratch for his trouble. Hatsume did not seem bothered in the least, laughing at Rath's futile efforts. "Break, break, _break_!"

"Do you see, all of you Support Companies?" yelled Hatsume over to the audience. "Witness my Super Jetpack Mark II, which has unlimited fuel, ammunition and cannot be damaged by even the representative of the first years!"

"GRAHH!" roared the alien- Hatsume's comment had only served to enrage him further. "Let me tell ya something, Mei-Hatsume-with-the-Weird-Eyes! When Rath hits something, it breaks! And Rath does not take breaks when it comes ta breaking stuff! YA HEAR ME?!"

"Loud and clear," smirked the pink-haired girl as she swooped downwards before flipping. Rath was thrown off the jetpack, landing on all fours beside his two classmates with ease. Iida was dripping with sweat, no doubt exhausted from carrying Uraraka for so long. The brunette, in contrast, was alert and still as energetic as ever.

"What's the plan, Kirihara-kun?" she asked quietly, watching Hatsume grin at them unabated, hovering a few metres off the ground with the flag behind her-

The flag that was being stolen by Kendou.

"Wait-!" he yelled, only for his orange-haired friend to wink at him as she made off with the Team D flag. "Rath had assumed that Team B was attacking Team C!" he complained.

This got the Support Course girl's attention, her grin fading as she caught sight of Kendou carting away her flag. "Ah, shit!" she yelled in frustration, taking off towards the escaping girl only to be seemingly met by an invisible force midway. Just behind Kendou was a grinning brunet with curiously oval-shaped eyes, who seemed responsible for the invisible barriers.

Hatsume gritted her teeth. "I-I can't get through!"

"Damn it!" yelled Iida, which was probably severe profanity for him.

Conveniently enough, this was actually advantageous to Team A. For one, Hatsume was no longer a problem- or at least, not a direct one. Two, unlike the currently occupied pink-haired girl, he was fully capable of overpowering Kendou for the flag (uh, with the right alien, of course. She would kick his ass if he tried to take her on in human form). What was more, he could do it alone, freeing Iida and Uraraka to help Tetsutetsu guard their flag, assuming it was still in Team A's possession, which would then lead to them helping to get it back.

The only real problem was the brunet. They had to sneak past his barriers to obtain the flag, and that meant skirting around him without being spotted…or simply passing through the aforementioned invisible barriers.

Rath grinned as he tapped the Omnitrix symbol and disappeared in a green flash. Sometimes, it really paid to be able to turn into an alien who could turn intangible. Not to mention fly.

* * *

Katsuki was having the time of his life.

To be fair, he had been furious to have the half-and-half bastard on his team, not to mention Kirihara's lackey. But once he'd calmed down, he'd realized the potential of them being his allies. And what was more, nearly everyone in his team was part of the Hero Course. Unlike fucking Kirihara, who had like three students of General Education in his.

Like seriously. Out of the five Gen Ed losers that'd passed the obstacle race, Kirihara had ended up with _three_. Of all the fucking luck. Anyway, it wasn't as if Katsuki could (or would) do anything to help. But if Kirihara didn't meet him in the third round he'd bash the fucker's head in, or perhaps fry his ass with the strongest Stun Grenade he had.

Todoroki had initially tried to take command, but Katsuki wasn't having any of that. Not by a fucking mile. His plan was stupid anyway. _Aim for Kirihara_? Like the white-haired bastard _didn't_ have a watch full of alien DNA? (And yes, Katsuki knew that the watch contained alien DNA. He wasn't stupid. Why else would an intergalactic space organization try and take it from him?)

"How about we just go for Team C instead?" he'd said. "If any other dumbass team leaves their flag open, Huge Hands and Air Boy can steal it."

"My _name_ is Kendou!" "And mine's Tsuburaba!" However, they'd agreed with the plan easily enough.

And now, as a result, Katsuki had gotten the opportunity to tear a swathe through his enemies, using his explosions to scatter them like bowling pins. They hadn't gotten the flag yet, but then again, it had barely been five minutes since the start of the event. He had to be _patient_, he reminded himself even as flames bloomed from his palms, hammering down some extra stupid enough to get in his way.

A massive tide of transparent ice materialized beside him, knocking down two more fools with power so overwhelming that it was almost unfair. He and Icy-Hot were the team's main artillery, knocking down anyone they came across, cutting a path towards the flag so that the invisible chick could steal it. Up until now, the plan was working. Only two students stood between him and the flag of Team C. The bad news was that those particular two were Hardware Store and Emo Bird.

Of course, were his suspicions about Emo Bird's Quirk correct, he wouldn't pose as much of a problem as Katsuki had first assumed. Hardware Store, with her strong _and_ versatile Quirk, would present a bigger challenge. However, he knew that there was a discernible limit to the number of objects she could create, which would stop her from overtly stressing herself.

And when the time was right…he could use that to his advantage.

Katsuki let out a deep, full-throated roar of challenge, attracting the attention of both of his classmates. Emo Bird, to his credit, didn't waste any time; he called forth his shadow monster thing- _Dark_ _Shadow_, he called it- to attack. Katsuki blasted it with a single explosion, watching it flail like a wounded animal as it struggled to regain coherence.

'_As I thought. That stupid bird's weakness is light.'_

It was really just plain sailing after that; all Katsuki needed being one more Stun Grenade to shrink Dark Shadow to the size of a cockroach, scuttling back into Emo Bird's stomach as he watched in shock. "D-Dark Shadow!" he squawked.

"I'm a bad matchup for you, shithead!" yelled Katsuki, not even bothering to attack as he sped back the stunned bird-boy. "Give me your flag, already!"

"Not a chance," returned Hardware Store, holding some sort of hose in her hand. She aimed it at him, and a long brown stream of fluid drenched him from tip to toe. Katsuki spluttered in shock; the liquid wasn't particularly thick and wouldn't obstruct his movements, but he recognized this stuff- this oppressive, pungent smell. It was _oil_. If he tried using his Quirk once more, he would basically just light himself on fire.

"Fuck!" he yelled as Todoroki came sailing, ice emerging from his right side to counter the girl, who simply aimed a different sort of weapon at him, which looked like a silvery metallic gun with a short, wide barrel. Katsuki could only cover his ears as an obscene amount of focused sound obliterated the bastard's ice, resulting in his ungracefully falling to the ground.

'_What do you know. This bitch can actually fight!'_

"Hah!" cried Katsuki, raising his fists and charging towards Hardware Store, determined to bring this to hand-to-hand combat if he had to. But Emo Bird was ready, commanding Dark Shadow to snatch him up into the sky and throw him aside.

"Ah! Damn it!" he roared in irritation, swiping at the oil sticking to his skin even as he touched down to the ground. Not that it helped- his hands were just as oily as everywhere else on his body. _'Okay. Okay, okay, okay. Calm down, now. So, my explosions are useless unless I free myself of this stupid oil…wait!'_

"Half-n-half!" he yelled. "Freeze me!"

"What?" asked Todoroki in bewilderment, turning towards him even as he blocked the shadowy beast with an ice wall. Katsuki was rapidly losing patience. "You heard me! Cover me with ice!"

Motor oil, like the kind he'd been drenched with by the black-haired bitch, didn't freeze or solidify at any temperature. However, if it became cold enough, it would turn thick, viscous and unable to ignite.

Which, of course, left him free to use his explosions however he wanted.

Understanding dawned on the scarface's visage. In the space of a single breath, Katsuki was encased in transparent frost. And with a single Stun Grenade, he'd freed himself of his icy prison- and taken the oil with it.

"Now you're finished!" he yelled, rocketing towards Emo Bird and Hardware Store at tremendous speeds. They didn't even have time to react as Katsuki unleashed the biggest explosion he'd ever made in a long time, slamming them back with ease.

As Katsuki landed and shook his palms, trying to ease the pain even as he grinned sharply in satisfaction, the miraculously untouched flag started to seemingly float of its own accord, which really just meant that the invisible chick had managed to grab it. A stream of ice exuded from Todoroki's boots as he made his way back to their team's base.

Katsuki followed.

* * *

"Oh, come on!" cried Kendou in exasperation as a massive navy-blue moth man made off with the flag that had been in her possession only a few seconds earlier. "That alien is just broken!"

Big Chill grinned as he hefted the flag in one arm while he used the other to shoot ice crystals at his friend. "Sorry. But I pledged to win."

With that statement, he spread his wings and took to the air. Despite his outward bravado, he was actually quite worried. Something was nagging at him, something important that he had forgotten about or simply failed to consider. What was more, he had a sneaking suspicion that it was something to do with him and him alone. But what could it be?

Not that he had the time to worry about it; Hatsume was coming after him with a vengeance, her face set in concentration and devoid of its usual manic smile. It was a simple matter for Big Chill to turn intangible once more and let the flag drop, the pink-haired girl shrieking as she flew through the moth-man's outline. He didn't envy her; apparently passing through his intangible form was like passing naked through a meat locker.

With a tap on his Omnitrix symbol, he'd changed into Fasttrack, landing nimbly on the ground, catching the flag, and taking off at full speed. He was still several hundred metres away from the base and would need all the speed he could get to reach there quickly, especially since there wasn't much time left.

On cue, Midnight's voice boomed over the microphone. "Only one more minute left!"

Fasttrack was getting more and more exhausted as he ran. Had his stamina been what he had failed to consider? After all, he _had _just run an obstacle race.

"Haaah…hah…" he panted, stopping for a bit to recover his breath. Where were Iida and Uraraka? Oh right, they were back with Tetsutetsu, Kibun and Kanji. No doubt there wouldn't be any help for him, not this time. Why hadn't he asked Iida to stay with him? Sure, maybe the boy wasn't as fast as Fasttrack, but he could have taken the flag and run towards the base- he had more stamina, after all.

_Lone wolf_, a nasty voice whispered in his head. _Such a lone wolf, always. Do you think that watch makes you special, oh Kyosuke Kirihara?_

'_Shut up, me,'_ he thought to himself angrily. Okay, maybe he'd overestimated his abilities, and had erred in not asking Iida to stay with him, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He could worry about his mistakes later.

"Kirihara!" screamed a voice behind him. Bakugou, no doubt. He turned wearily, just barely managing to avoid a strike from the explosive blond. The flag, gripped in a slightly sweaty furred hand, was heavy and getting heavier. His mouth was dry and his head was hurting from the glare of the sun high overhead.

He could also see Hatsume making her way towards him, having recovered from her ordeal, and _fucking hell_, _Todoroki_ was sliding near him on a sheet of ice, his face set with deadly intent.

Damn it damn it _damn it_.

Iida could have escaped while Kyosuke rested. Uraraka could have floated the flag over to Tetsutetsu or Monoma and Shinsou. Fuck, even the latter two could have used Brainwashing to do something!

Kyosuke had truly overestimated himself this time.

It didn't matter. Now, he had no choice but to hold them off.

Tapping the Omnitrix and transforming into Four Arms, he grinned as he hefted the flag up. New power surged through him, easing his muscles and clearing his mind. Now, it wouldn't be so hard. Four Arms was a powerful alien. He would be able to pull through. He had to.

"Come and get me!" he yelled.

And then-

Beep-beep-beep _**BEEP**_.

A red flash, emanating from Four Arms' body and blinding everyone present.

And Kyosuke Kirihara, white hair everywhere and a very surprised look on his face, the flag now looking considerably bigger in his left hand.

Silence.

Silence.

_Silence._

"Oh," he managed. "Oh, shit."

Bakugou gave a triumphant cry as he rocketed forward.

* * *

**This has been sitting in my desktop finished for about a week. However, I was too unsatisfied with it and kept trying to edit, and uh, I guess this is the best I can do?**

**Well, I hope you guys like it at any rate. Tsukauchi having relations with the Plumbers, Kirihara's first disastrous timeout, a new alien and a new spin on the second round; this has a lot going on, and I guess this is the best I can do.**

**On a happier note, I can now start making 'It's over 9000!' jokes about the view count. 'Cause guess what! **_**It's over 9000!**_

**Leav****e a review if you liked it, and/or want to provide constructive criticism! Thanks for taking the time to read this far.**

**See you soon!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Shielding his eyes briefly from the red light, Shouta could only grimace at his student's lack of rationale. Beside him, Mic was whipping the crowd into a frenzy with his commentating on Kirihara's situation turning for the worse so soon after near-singlehandedly fending off several students. So far, only Team B had the requisite two flags, and Teams C and D each had none. Team A, so far, had managed to keep their flag, but it would be all for nought if Bakugou, Todoroki and Hatsume managed to keep Kirihara from getting to his team's base in time.

When had Kirihara developed such a lone-wolf mentality? Shouta wasn't sure, but he could hazard a guess or several. The boy had broken record after record in his time at U.A. First in the Entrance Exam, beating out even All Might's score. First in the Quirk Apprehension Test. First to successfully respond against the villains at the U.S.J and up until now, first in the Sports Festival.

Of course, this was all due to a mixture of the Omnitrix's power and his not unintelligent application of said power. But when one's surroundings started putting one up on a pedestal, one always expected oneself to remain on that pedestal, even if it meant leaving everyone around oneself behind. The responsibility of being the person having the potential to surpass All Might would be on Kirihara's shoulders throughout his time at U.A, and living up to that responsibility had caused him, unconsciously or otherwise, to ignore his limits.

U.A was all about Plus Ultra. It was about going further beyond. But pushing past your limits didn't mean _forgetting they existed_. There was a line beyond which going further would be akin to self-destruction for anybody, and Kirihara hadn't crossed it so much as torn through it and burned it to ashes. He had all but disregarded something which no one of his calibre should have- that his Omnitrix, no matter how hard he pushed it, would keep him transformed for a hard limit of twenty-five minutes, and twenty-five minutes only. And he was now paying the price for his negligence dearly.

As Shouta watched, Kirihara desperately crossed his arms in an attempt to block Bakugou's assault, his skin burning pink from the blond's chemical-fuelled flame. Then it was Todoroki's turn, swooping in on a platform of ice to try and grasp the flag, which was still miraculously intact.

Hatsume had been expertly warded off by a massive wall of ice, and she was yelling intelligible curses as she attempted to circumnavigate it with limited results. Still, Shouta surmised, many support companies would be on the watch for her, especially since she had been the first Support Course student to make it to the finish line. She had even beaten out a member of the Iida family, which was known for its speed-related Quirks.

Kirihara let out a strangled noise of part anger, part frustration and part desperation as he shielded the flag with his body and consequently took the brunt of the glacier's impact. He was flung back like a ragdoll and tumbled to the ground in a pathetic fashion; alone and surrounded by hostiles. By some miracle, he had kept a firm grasp on the flag the entire time and wasn't looking like he would relinquish it so easily. Not that it would do him any good; only about thirty seconds were remaining, and they were disappearing fast. Bakugou seemed calmer now that the Omnitrix was red and looked perfectly content to hammer his rival down nice and easy until Midnight called for time.

It looked hopeless for Team A, and Shouta just supposed that Kirihara would have to try his luck next year. He closed his eyes to Kirihara's fallen form as the timer counted down. _'What a waste…'_

_Twenty…nineteen…eighteen…seventeen…_

And then-

"_Recipro Burst!"_

* * *

When Quirks had first evolved, they had been extremely simple. A glowing light. A ball of flame. A breath of frost. A palm of stone.

However, as humans continued to progress, so too did Quirks begin to grow more complex and puzzling. As people would reproduce, their Quirks would mix, resulting in powers that were uncontrollable and incomprehensible even by their wielders. An example of this was the Engine Quirk that was possessed by the Iida family.

According to the latest scientific research, one's Quirk was decided upon by a strain of specific genes in one's DNA, colloquially called the Quirk Factor. These genes would do as genes did and give out instructions to the body, and the body would make proteins by acting on those instructions. The type of, number of and location of said proteins decided one's Quirk; whether it would be an Emitter, Mutant or Transformation type, what sort of structure would it result in, how the body would modify itself to compensate for the Quirk and so on.

Quirks, like any other segment of the human body, were subject to Mendelian genetics, and one rule postulated by it goes as such; mixing of different gene pools results in the appearance of more favourable traits from each of these pools and gives the organism a greater chance of survival. The Iida line had, for generations, ignored this particular rule and had interbred among themselves, resulting in the preservation of one Quirk which was now characteristic of it; Engine.

Tenya Iida, as well as his older brother, Tensei, both had extremely powerful Engines, and while each was different in its own way, they had some similar characteristics. Both were powered by fruit juice (orange for Tenya, and grapefruit for Tensei). Both worked very much like normal car engines, by the principles of combustion, pistons and expulsion.

And both, by pushing their torque and RPM to the max, could provide their wielders with a few seconds of unimaginable speed, with the cost of them not working for the next few minutes.

"Recipro Burst!"

Tenya streaked forward in a blaze of nitro-blue flames and speed unfathomable, snatched Kirihara and the flag up by his shirt and raced back to Team A's zone. All in the space of a single breath.

He could hear Bakugou swearing up a storm behind him and couldn't even find it in himself to criticize. After all, for about two seconds, he had equalled Fasttrack's speed, and it had allowed him to help his team get the upper hand at last.

"-nine! Eight! Seven! Six!"

"I-Iida?" slurred Kirihara, limp in Tenya's grip. He had expected some signs of concussion by Bakugou's explosions, so the slurring failed to alarm him. "Di' we get tha' flag?"

"Yes," said Tenya shortly, watching out for any surprise attacks. Team B had retreated, and the pink-haired girl was far enough that he didn't feel the need to worry.

Kirihara smiled loosely. "Kay…lemme jus'…jus'…" He failed to finish his sentence before drooping further, looking truly dazed. His watch was glowing red, and his arms were still pink from the burns he had sustained. Shinsou and Monoma had retreated to the base as well and Uraraka, of course, was still with Kibun, Kanji and Tetsutetsu, surrounding their original flag.

"Three! Two! ONE! TIME'S UP!" yelled Present Mic and Midnight simultaneously. "All teams please assemble in front of the stage!"

* * *

In the end, Kibun and Kanji had dropped out.

They'd contributed too little to their team, and they'd only won because they'd gotten lucky enough to be in the same team as an Iida and- in Kanji's words- "a fucking annoying shapeshifter who can do literally anything."

The 'fucking annoying' part had been rather uncalled for in Kyosuke's opinion, especially when he had been- and still was- seeing stars from Bakugou's constant explosions. However, he had said nothing. He was sure that Kanji was feeling extremely bitter about not continuing, even if it had been of his own volition. Kibun seemed more at ease with her decision if her sunny-yellow hair was anything to go by, but Kyosuke could see the tell-tale red of her hair's roots betraying her true feelings.

Tetsutetsu, Shinsou and Monoma had elected to continue, and in Kibun and Kanji's place, one member from each of the losing teams had been sent in- Yaoyorozu from Team C, and Kirishima from Team D (much to Kyosuke's pleasure). This meant that Ashido was left behind from their little group of four, and if he knew Ashido, she would be pretty nettled about not moving on. Maybe some natto would cheer her up, mused Kyosuke, strolling the corridors leading to the men's toilet.

When he cast his mind back to the Flag Battle, his fists clenched, and he felt a sudden lump of shame congeal in his gut. He'd acted like an absolute idiot, leaving himself open to attack from anyone brave enough to try. Transforming into Fasttrack; could he get any more predictable? As he'd used him in the entrance exam and Quirk Assessment Test, Fasttrack was among his more widely known aliens- not just in 1-A, but in all of U.A. His speed was insurmountable, but he struggled with making turns and lacked finesse and stamina. Bakugou had noticed it. Todoroki had noticed it. Hatsume had noticed it. He'd made a mistake and it had cost him (and his team) dearly.

Remaining Big Chill would have been a better option. Cannonbolt would have been a better option. Even _Lodestar_ would have been fine.

But no- he'd just had to go and pick the alien with super-speed that any imbecile would've picked.

Well, it could have been worse. At least he'd passed through to the third round, and they had an hour in which they could have lunch and rest up for the third round, which was- as always- a Battle Round, where the remaining sixteen competitors would be cut down to two via a set of one-on-one battles, and the last two would duke it out to determine the winner; as Present Mic had said enthusiastically in the announcer's box.

So lost he was in his thoughts that he didn't notice All Might until he'd almost bumped into him; and when they collided it was a painful shock back to reality. "A-All Might!" said Kyosuke, surprised. The blond man was in his skinny form (which was probably fortunate. Had he been in his muscled state, Kyosuke would have probably been knocked flying) and dressed in an oversized mustard-yellow suit and maroon tie. "Uh, sorry, wasn't looking where I was going," he mumbled, looking away while tracing his watch, which was still glowing red.

"No need to apologize, young Kirihara," said the man reassuringly. He stood a head taller than Kyosuke, a good six feet even in this form, but in the bright light overhead his every wrinkle seemed to be accentuated, the folds of his suit which should have been filled with muscle more prominent than ever. It was almost too much to look at; the Number One Hero reduced to a shrivelled husk. "Is something on your mind?"

"I, uh," he rubbed the back of his head. "I just, well, um…" he wasn't able to stop, the words suddenly tumbling out. "My performance in the Flag Battle was kind of pathetic, and I'm a little torn up about that."

"What do you mean?" asked All Might, looking genuinely confused. "You and your team performed splendidly. After all, you came up to the finals with three members who haven't received the same training the Hero Course has, and you defended yourself and your flag from two students in the Hero Course as well as a girl with technology beyond anything any Support Course student has produced. Not a bad show at all."

Kyosuke's ears burned at the compliments. Something swelled in his chest, something dark and heavy and itching for release; it was almost too much to bear- and he was suddenly rambling, his hands running through his hair, All Might's face suddenly worried. "I-I used Fasttrack- _Fasttrack_ of all aliens when literally every single U.A student worth their salt knows his abilities and I pushed myself too hard and forgot about my time limit _my_ _freaking time limit_ I mean how asinine do you have to be to forget about the one thing tying you down oh my God I'm such an _idiot_ I can turn into a wrecking ball and the world's strongest sentient magnet and instead I picked the one alien I shouldn't have-"

"Young Kirihara," said All Might, placing his hands on his shoulders. "_Breathe_."

Kyosuke did just that, sucking in great gulps of air to try and stabilize himself. He was ashamed to feel wetness behind his eyelids and tried to quickly scrub it away.

"I think I understand what the problem is," said All Might gently, not removing his hands. "Young Kirihara, the burden you bear is massive, isn't it? First in the Entrance Exam, first in the Quirk Apprehension Test, and up until now, one of the top scorers in the Sports Festival. Every eye in the stadium is currently on you. And you, maybe even unconsciously, have realized that. You probably realized it the instant you stepped up on that podium and pledged to win."

Kyosuke nodded silently.

"And not just the audience," continued the Number One Hero. "Every student's eye is on you as well. They see you as the target they need to take down. The person they need to overcome. Even your own classmates have pursued you, tried to defeat you and prove to the world that you're not the strongest student out there. And that pressure has made you make mistakes. Errors in your judgement which you wouldn't normally have made."

A memory flashed into his mind. _"As if we wouldn't know."_ A General Education student, looking at him with jealousy and bitterness etched into his gaze. Kanji. _"First-place Hero Course twat."_

Todoroki, his cool eyes boring into Kyosuke's with blazing intensity. _"Consider this a declaration of war."_

Bakugou, his smoking fist clenched around his collar. _"Why. Didn't. You. Use. Fasttrack?"_

"Young Kirihara, believe me when I say I understand exactly what that's like," said All Might, his wizened face as kind as an oak. "I understand what it's like to have people look at you with jealousy, with the desire to surpass you. I understand the burden you are facing and I know how you feel."

_I know how you feel_. In the last four years of Kyosuke's life, no one had ever told him that, and it comforted him more than he'd like to admit.

"Take some advice from me, Young Kirihara. Not just as your teacher, but as the Number One Hero," said All Might, his sunken blue eyes flaring to life. "No matter how good your intentions are, no matter how much you wish to use your powers to save and protect the innocent, there will always be those who sneer at you, who deride you and attempt to bring you down out of envy for your strength. All you can do during those moments is look towards your goal. Look towards your purpose! Look towards what made you enter U.A in the first place! What do you want to be, Young Kirihara? Why do you want to become a hero? Why do you decide to devote your time to mastering the Omnitrix?"

He clenched his fists again, his chest filling with something else. Purpose. Determination. His aim, his goal… "I want to become the Number One Hero," he said, his heart starting to beat more strongly, "because I know what it's like to be weak. To be powerless. I know there are people out there who cry out for peace amidst cruelty, who hold onto hope in the darkness for someone to come and take their suffering away. I don't want anyone to suffer because no one deserves suffering. I want to master the Omnitrix because I want to protect those who plead for a hero to come and save them. To achieve that…"

His Omnitrix beeped twice, glowing a bright green.

"To become a hero that anyone can look up to and feel relief and happiness…"

A large grin stretched across All Might's face.

"That's my aim! That's my goal!" Kyosuke gave a laugh, rubbing his eyes and standing tall. "And I'm gonna achieve that goal, no matter what the cost!"

"Yes!" All Might laughed. "That's the spirit I'm looking for!"

Kyosuke gave another laugh, the oil in his chest clearing entirely. "Thank you, All Might."

"Yagi."

He blinked in confusion. "Hm?"

"Toshinori Yagi." The blond man rubbed his head. "I believe you know this already, but that is my real name."

Kyosuke smiled. "Of course. Thank you, Yagi-sensei."

* * *

"Where were you?" asked Kendou in slight worry, as Kyosuke joined them at the lunch table with some rice and beans- a light meal that would serve well to refuel him for the fights ahead- and as promised, some natto for Ashido. It seemed that his friends had already seen fit to comfort her because she was looking marginally more cheerful than he'd thought she'd be, but she made no move to reject the offering, taking the bowl and digging in.

"I was using the little men's room," said Kyosuke easily, shovelling some rice in his mouth. He noticed Kendou and Kirishima exchange looks and frowned slightly. "What?"

"Nothing!" exclaimed Kirishima. "Nothing, just…" He nervously licked his lips, an action that made Kyosuke peer at him more seriously. "We were wondering how you were holding up, after that whole fiasco with those dudes in space suits, and then everyone coming after your team like they did, and then Bakugou and Todoroki attacking you when your Omnitrix was red…"

"We were worried, in essentials." Kendou didn't look at him directly. "About you, Kirihara-kun."

He smiled, feeling warmth course through him. What had he done to deserve such friends? He did not know, but he was damn glad about it. "I'm fine, I promise. That was a hell of a throw, Kirishima."

"Yeah?" The boy grinned. "Well, that was a hell of a punch. Looks like Rath's gonna be jealous of- uh, whoever your new friend is."

"I call him Four Arms," Kyosuke preened.

"Because… he has four arms?" snorted Ashido, finishing with the natto.

"Yep!"

"Oh my, such originality, I wasn't expecting that at all," deadpanned Kendou, before she caught Kyosuke's eye and started to laugh, he, Kirishima and Ashido joining in a few moments later.

"Ah…" the white-haired boy polished off the last of his rice. "I think we still have a half-hour or so…what're we gonna do till then?"

"Rest," said Ashido, like it was obvious.

"Yeah, but…surely there's gotta be something else."

"Well, it _is_ U.A." Kirishima shrugged. "And no such thing as being too prepared, right?"

"We could at least stretch or something," agreed Kendou.

But before Kyosuke could join his friends, a certain teen with white-and-red hair and a burn scar on his eye stopped him in his tracks. Shouto Todoroki, the son of Endeavour. This gesture was enough to put Kendou, Kirishima and Ashido on their guard immediately, and Kyosuke, without realizing it, started tracing the silver dial on his watch. "Is there something I can do for you, Todoroki?" he asked politely, his memory of the declaration of war fresh in his mind.

"I want to talk with you in private for a bit," said Todoroki calmly. "I hope you don't mind if I take up some of your time?"

"Not at all," assured Kyosuke, before turning to his friends. "Be back in a flash," he grinned, taking note of their unease and doing his best to dispel it. Kendou cast a small glance at him- a clear message to stay on his toes and be careful- before nodding and leaving with Kirishima and Ashido.

Todoroki led him to a small alleyway well away from the mess hall, before turning around to face him, staring at him silently for a few moments. Kyosuke said nothing, meeting his gaze with an equally stoic demeanour- or so he hoped, anyway, because he was actually fairly uncertain of what Todoroki wanted with him and was hoping it was nothing untoward.

By the time a minute passed, Kyosuke was getting a little annoyed with Todoroki's continued silence, but then the boy finally spoke. "I was overpowered," he said carefully. "During the obstacle race and the flag battle. Before the festival began, I swore that I would defeat you, and I haven't been able to live up to my words since then."

"You do realize that you and Bakugou would have screwed me over completely in the last few minutes of the second round had Iida not come to bail me out, right?" interrupted Kyosuke in a deadpan tone of voice.

"Nevertheless," said Todoroki insistently. "I haven't been able to defeat you. And it's made me come to the conclusion that you deserve an explanation about why I've sought you out. Part of the reason is, of course, that I think you're the strongest student the Hero Course has to offer, but it's only part of the reason."

This got Kyosuke's attention.

"You know who my father is, right?" asked the heterochromatic teen. At Kyosuke's nod, he continued. "All throughout his hero career, all he's ever wanted to do is surpass All Might and take his spot as the Number One Hero. So far, he hasn't been able to come close, and I don't think he ever will. I think he realized that as well quite a few years ago after the V.I.P.E.R incident. Even though his popularity was higher than All Might's, he didn't come anywhere close to taking the top spot in the JP Hero Billboard Charts. So, he decided to make a weapon that _would_ be able to beat whom he never could himself."

"Have you heard of Quirk Marriages?"

The breath left Kyosuke's lungs in a pained, silent wheeze. Surely, Todoroki couldn't be suggesting…? "I thought… I thought those were illegal," he said weakly.

"They skirt the lines of legality," corrected Todoroki, his eyes icy. "And I see you've guessed what I'm getting at. My mother was famed throughout the circles of the rich and famous for her immensely powerful Ice Quirk and that she stood to inherit a great fortune. Endeavour was able to coerce her and her parents into marriage by use of his own fame as the Number Two Hero and vast wealth."

"My mother, Rei Todoroki, remains trapped under a mockery of a marriage, burdened by a name she doesn't want; all so because my father wanted the perfect successor to carry on his legacy. In my memories, she is always crying. She told me, _"Your left side is unsightly,"_ as she poured boiling water over my face." He traced the burn scar on his eye. "After that, she was confined to a mental hospital, forced to live out her days in solitude."

Kyosuke was shocked to the point of almost being lost for words. He'd never liked Endeavour as a hero (though he'd always liked the eggs recipe that had been named after him), and had always disdained his attitude, but this? How could someone- _anyone_\- be capable of such cruelty? "I'm sorry that happened to you, Todoroki," he mumbled, and he meant it.

Todoroki nodded. "Challenging you, the person who beat All Might's record in the entrance exam, was what my father thought would display how much ground I'd yet to cover to reach his goal of beating All Might. Since the first day, you've won against me thrice- in the Battle Simulation, the Obstacle Race, and the Capture-the-Flag competition. That won't happen any longer. I will win against you in the third round- and I'll do it without using my old man's fire."

Kyosuke frowned slightly, recalling what Todoroki's Quirk was- to generate fire from his left side and ice from his right. Come to think of it, he'd never used his fire before; was it because of his hatred for his father?

"I want to become the Number One Hero," proclaimed the white-and-red haired boy, "but I'll do it my way. I'm not going to use my old man's fire, no matter what the cost. I'll make it to the top with only my right side."

"Hang on," said Kyosuke in disbelief. "You're going to make it to the top without using your fire, because you inherited it from your father? So that you can reject him completely?"

"Yes," said Todoroki. "I'm not going to give him the satisfaction of-"

"That isn't going to work, Todoroki," said Kyosuke, realizing all at once that he couldn't let him continue like this anymore.

"What?" asked the white-and-red haired teen, looking confused.

"You heard me," said Kyosuke, shaking his head. "You're not going to be able to become the Number One Hero that way. Sure, you're powerful even with only half your Quirk, but in the end, it's just _half_ your Quirk. Half of your true power. Are you really going to reject half of yourself all throughout your years at U.A?"

Todoroki was visibly caught off guard. His mouth opened slightly, but he was at a loss for words. His eyes were very wide.

"What your father's done to you is despicable." Kyosuke narrowed his eyes. "There's no other way to put it. But I don't think what you're doing right now will bring you any closer to your goals. Everyone here's trying their best- pushing themselves to their limits and breaking past them anew. Do you remember what Aizawa-sensei told us on our first day of school? How he was going to throw everything he had at us, and we were going to come out of it with Plus Ultra on our lips? How do you think you're gonna do that when you aren't even using half of your full strength?"

"I- you don't understand," said Todoroki, a low undercurrent of anger rumbling in his voice. "You don't know what it's like- the things he's done to us- to my mother-!"

"You're right," Kyosuke nodded. "I don't understand. I don't think I ever will. But what I do understand is that if you keep using half of your Quirk, if you refuse to give your all at becoming a hero the same way the rest of us are doing, you'll never come out on top. Not against me, not against our class, and certainly not against All Might."

Todoroki said nothing to that, only looking away and slowly glancing at his left hand, his eyes still wide and mouth still open.

"See you in the third round, Todoroki," concluded Kyosuke, his voice softening. "I hope that you finally learn to accept the power you wield in its entirety."

He stepped away, leaving the heterochromatic boy to his turbulent thoughts.

Hidden away in another part of the corridor, Bakugou did the same.

* * *

"**Welcome back after a refreshing hour's break, listeners!"** yelled Present Mic in the announcer's box. **"The third round is underway, and I don't know about the rest of you but I'm on the edge of my seat with anticipation for this one! It's gonna be the most EXPLOSIVE round of today's Festival, with the best of the best U.A has to offer duking it out on the grand stage!"**

Midnight took over from there. "We'll be drawing lots!" she cried, flashing a cat-o-nine-tails in the air. "The sixteen finalists may draw from this box-" she brought forth a wooden box presumably filled with paper chits- "and those with matching numbers will be fighting each other all the way to the finals after the recreational activities are done! Would Team A come forth to receive their chits, please!"

Kyosuke, Uraraka, Iida, Monoma, Tetsutetsu, and Shinsou made their way to the stage and each picked out a chit. Kyosuke and Uraraka both drew 4, putting them up against each other; Iida drew 7, Shinsou got 1, Monoma 8 and Tetsutetsu, 3.

Then came Team B; Bakugou, Todoroki, Shouji, Kendou, the boy who could make invisible barriers called Tsuburaba, Hagakure and two people from 1-B he didn't know (a girl with vines for hair and a boy with a skull-like face).

Bakugou and Hagakure drew 5, putting them up against each other; Shouji drew 7, putting him against Iida, Tsuburaba drew a 6, Todoroki 3 (putting him against Tetsutetsu), and Kendou drew 1, putting her in line to face Shinsou.

Lastly, the girl with the vines named Ibara Shiozaki drew 8, putting her against Monoma, and the boy with the skull-like face called Juzo Honenuki drew a 2. Then came the last two, Kirishima and Yaoyorozu. The former drew a 6, putting him against Tsuburaba, leaving Yaoyorozu to face Honenuki.

After the drawing, the matches looked like this;

_1\. Itsuka Kendou vs. Hitoshi Shinsou_

_2\. Momo Yaoyorozu vs Juzo Honenuki_

_3\. Shouto Todoroki vs Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu_

_4\. Kyosuke Kirihara vs Ochaco Uraraka_

_5\. Tooru Hagakure vs. Katsuki Bakugou_

_6\. Kousei Tsuburaba vs Eijirou Kirishima_

_7\. Tenya Iida vs Mezou Shouji_

_8\. Neito Monoma vs. Ibara Shiozaki_

Kyosuke narrowed his eyes. He was against Uraraka…if he won, that put him in line to face either Todoroki or Tetsutetsu. And even though he knew the latter to be strong, he was fairly sure Todoroki would win. And if that happened…they would be fighting each other.

And Kyosuke was _not_ going to let Todoroki have a victory unless he got his head out of his ass and started using his fire.

"Oh man, looks like I'm against Kirihara-kun," said Uraraka behind him, sounding queasy. He turned to see Iida putting a hand on her shoulder, offering encouragement. "Don't worry, you'll do fine as long as you give it your all."

"Kirihara-kun," a hand tapped his shoulder, and he looked over to see Kendou, gripping her chit in a mixture of nervousness and determination. "Did you look at our brackets in the tournament?"

He nodded in confusion. Where was she going with this?

"Then you must have noticed that if we're going to face each other, it will only be if both of us make it to the semi-finals."

"Yes," he nodded once more, finally understanding what she was getting at.

"So, I'd like to say…" she looked up at him, determination etched into her gaze. "I'm gonna make it to the semis. You'd better promise to do the same, so I can finally get the chance to fight you."

"Of course," he met her challenge with a smile, yet his voice was filled with the same drive she possessed. "I look forward to it, Kendou."

"Whereas I," said Kirishima, slinging an arm around Kendou's shoulders, "won't get to face either of you- not if Bakugou's in the same block as me." He was grinning widely, completely at odds to the moroseness of his words.

Kendou frowned at him. "Come on Kirishima-kun, don't say that."

Kirishima stared at her. "Kendou, bud, I think of myself as a pretty confident guy, but let's be real- I don't stand a chance against him. Not that it means I'm not gonna give it my all if he does end up fighting me, though."

"I- oh, all right." Kyosuke rubbed the back of his head. "I don't think your chances of winning are zero per cent, but yeah, Bakugou's pretty strong."

"Speaking of strong people," said Kendou, affixing him with a look, "how do you think you're gonna get past Todoroki?"

"I only face Todoroki if I beat Uraraka," pointed out Kyosuke. "I think I should worry about her first- and then I can think about what I'll do against Todoroki- and again, that's if he makes it against Tetsutetsu."

"Fair enough," Kendou frowned slightly. "Why don't you go long-range against her so that she can't touch you and float you up? Say Chromastone, maybe Big Chill?"

Kyosuke frowned. While he appreciated the thought, Chromastone's lasers could seriously hurt Uraraka if he aimed them directly at her, and Big Chill…well, he'd already used him in the Flag Battle, and he wanted to showcase more of his powers. Besides, he was sure that Uraraka would be planning for Big Chill, as he'd used him in front of her quite a few times. Other long-range aliens he had…Eatle? Maybe Swampfire? Yes, those two- especially Swampfire- would do nicely. Eatle's laser, unlike Chromastone's, caused no damage apart from a wicked blunt force attack, and Swampfire could do other things besides just spewing flames.

It was why he'd named him _Swampfire_, after all; and not just plain Fire.

"How about you, Kendou?" asked Kirishima, peering up at the name under hers. "Hitoshi Shinsou…isn't he that purple-haired Gen Ed student who was in your team, Kirihara?"

"Yeah," said Kyosuke, nodding. "He's got an incredible Quirk called Brainwashing. If you respond to anything he says, he can take control over your mind and make you do whatever he wants. However, the orders can't be too specific or too vague, or he gets headaches."

"Whoa, that's so cool," mumbled Kirishima. "Though I can see why a Quirk like that wouldn't help him pass the entrance exam."

"So, game plan; rush him fast, knock him out of bounds as quickly as possible, and don't respond to him no matter what," muttered Kendou to himself. That sounded solid, Kyosuke agreed. "And who's against Kirishima- that guy who can erect invisible barriers called Tsuburaba?" he asked.

"His Quirk is called Solid Air," explained Kendou, who'd been on his team. "Whenever he breathes out, he creates air that he's able to construct however he wants. The durability and size of the construct depend on his lung capacity." Kirishima nodded slowly. "So, basically, I do what I do best," he grinned, "harden up and break things."

"That's the idea," concurred Kendou.

Kyosuke made his way to the waiting room, electing to rest up and focus on the fights ahead, instead of watching the recreational activities. Sitting on the bench and idly flipping through the Omnitrix in anticipation for the battles ahead. Kendou and Kirishima were both in the other waiting room, and everyone else was watching the recreational activities, so he was alone. Soon, in about half an hour;

"Will all the finalists make it to the stage, please? The first match will soon be beginning!"

Taking several deep breaths, Kyosuke got up and made his way to the audience- more specifically the box wherein his class was sitting. He exchanged grins with Kirishima and Ashido before sitting to Kirishima's right, with Yaoyorozu and Jirou to his own right. Jirou nodded in acknowledgement and Yaoyorozu flashed him a small smile, which he returned before facing the stage, on which Kendou and Shinsou were already standing.

"Good luck, Kendou," he mumbled under his breath. "Though I'm sure you won't need it."

* * *

Itsuka took several deep breaths, both to settle her nerves and fire her up for the battle ahead. From what Kirihara had told her, her opponent wasn't anything special apart from his Quirk, which was more than a little special, she thought wryly.

It didn't matter. As long as she didn't say anything back to him, and shoved him out of the ring as quickly as possible, the win would be hers.

"**Welcome, welcome, welcome to the highly-anticipated THIRD ROUND!"** screamed Present Mic. **"Let's not waste time, 'cause I'm sure all of you and all of the finalists are just raring to get this thing started!"**

"**Joining us in the first round of matchups! The bold, the brave, the indomitable martial artist of 1-A, ITSUKA KENDOU!"**

Itsuka made her way to the stage, walking with purposeful, slow strides.

"**And in the other corner! The purple-haired lean machine who's also the only Gen Ed student to have made it this far! HITOSHI SHINSOU!"**

The cheers from the audience, she noted, were slightly muted in comparison to the ones that had greeted her entry, and judging from the sour expression on Shinsou's face, he wasn't very happy about it. It faded quickly into a smirk, however.

Midnight raised her cat-o-nine tails, looking at each of them sternly. "Now, both of you. I want a good, clean match, understand?" Her gaze lingered slightly on Shinsou and Itsuka winced inwardly. From the way Shinsou's lip was curling, she was sure that Midnight had, unintentionally or not, offended him, and it was going to show in their match.

'_Just push him out of bounds as fast as you can,' _she thought to herself feverishly. _'Just-'_

"Hey, so," drawled Shinsou, catching her by surprise. 'I'm pretty sure that Kirihara's already told you all about my Quirk, hasn't he?"

Itsuka jerked in surprise, about to reply- but she caught herself just in time. Not a muscle did she move, not a sound did she make. She only stared at him evenly.

He chuckled, running a hand through his purple hair. "Yeah, I thought so." His face darkened. "He's nice, you know? Kind of awkward and a loner, but nice. He's the first guy that's ever treated me nicely about my Quirk, right alongside those other two from your class, Uraraka and Iida. Still…" he clenched a fist. "It's not like any of you know what it's like to be discriminated against and be looked at as a future villain just for having a certain Quirk."

Itsuka froze.

"BEGIN!"

Shinsou took advantage of her lack of offence to press on. "You Hero Course kids are so blessed, you know? None of you know it, but people like me resent you all the time for it. Your Quirks are so perfect, so peerless, and you'll all become excellent Heroes without having to lift a finger. None of you know what it's like to work just to be acknowledged. Why would you? You don't have _villains'_ _Quirks_."

Itsuka was able to hear her classmates screaming at her from the box above to stop wasting time and rush him before he could get at her. And she would. But not just so that she could beat him. So that she could teach him a lesson.

Sure, Quirks were important. And maybe Shinsou had suffered because of his. But that didn't mean they hadn't had to work at being heroes every single day. She'd put in countless hours at the dojo perfecting her own unique style of fighting, just so that she could take advantage of her Quirk's capabilities. More than once she'd seen Ashido subtly try to hide her burned palms from trying to up the strength of her acid. Kirishima's skin was always dry and flaky from the amount of time he kept it hardened to train his Quirk up. Even Kirihara, whose watch gave him a hundred different powers, worked harder than anyone she'd seen so that he could become a hero to the point where he constantly forgot to take time out for himself.

He'd said that they'd become excellent heroes without having to lift a finger? She was going to show him how wrong he was.

She charged forward, her Quirk taking effect and causing her hands to balloon with muscle and elongated bone. Shinsou took an astonished step back, but Itsuka was on him in seconds, _pushing_ him back with a concussive blast of force-

"_Final Strike_!"

Her palms shot outward, blasting her opponent back and sending him tumbling out of bounds in one go.

A few seconds of silence. Then Midnight flicked her cat-o-nine tails outward, yelling, "Shinsou-kun is out of bounds! The winner is Kendou-san!"

The audience gave a tumultuous round of applause, even as she walked towards the fallen Shinsou and upon getting to where he was laid out on the grass, offering a hand. Shinsou scrutinized it, before taking the offer and pulling himself up, wincing.

"Tell me," she said calmly, "do you think that was the result of getting a good Quirk?"

He looked up at her, saying nothing just yet. Then again, she'd hit him pretty hard, and he was visibly struggling to breathe properly.

"We work at being heroes every day, Shinsou-kun," she said, smiling. "Quirks are important, but they aren't the be-all-end-all of a fight. Even Kirihara, who can basically do anything, has to work harder than anyone in our class simply because of everything he can do."

"As for your Quirk being villainous…I don't agree, Shinsou-kun. No Quirk is villainous. In fact, I think your Quirk is pretty cool! If you want to be a hero, you'll be a great one. I'm sure of it."

She saw a conflicted look pass across his face and decided to leave it at that.

"Good luck, Shinsou-kun… I hope you achieve your goals."

With that, she turned and left, tactfully not commenting on the tears in the boy's eyes as a few robot assistants helped him on a stretcher.

* * *

"That was awesome, Kendou!" praised Kirishima, slapping a hand against the orange-haired girl's own in an enthusiastic high-five. Kyosuke and Ashido joined in a few minutes later, with the latter going as far as to pull her into a one-armed hug.

"Since when did you have that move up your sleeve?" asked Kyosuke.

"Which one?" Kendou wrinkled her brow in confusion.

"The 'Final Strike'."

"Oh, I came up with that when I was training for the Festival." Her nonchalant tone only served to make Kyosuke shudder. If she had more moves like that, a match with her would be far harder than he had assumed it would be. Not that he had ever thought beating Kendou would be easy, of course.

"Come on, I don't want to miss Yaomomo's match against that B student!" said Ashido, practically skipping on their way back to their seats in the audience.

Kendou furrowed her brows. "This might be a problematic match for Yaomomo," she mumbled to herself.

"What makes you say that?" asked Kyosuke, falling in step with her as Kirishima jogged ahead to catch up with Ashido.

Kendou looked up at him. "Her opponent today is Juzo Honenuki, right? Well, he was on our team during the Flag Battle, and he let it slip that he was _also_ a student selected via recommendation."

"Woah." A recommended student was never a good opponent to face in any situation, and he would know considering Todoroki had fought him in the Battle Training.

"What's more, his Quirk…uh, I don't actually know what it's called, but it helps him soften whatever solid he touches, to the point where it has the consistency of mud. It's how he helped defend our flag. Anyone who came close to it was instantly knee-deep in the ground, and effectively trapped once Honenuki deactivated his Quirk."

"Something tells me there's more than that to why you think Honenuki isn't a good opponent for Yaoyorozu," prompted Kyosuke.

She half-smiled. "Well, he's also really good at planning flexibly and making last-minute adjustments to his strategies. Although Bakugou led the offence with Todoroki, he was the one who suggested I go for someone else's flag as backup, and when that didn't work out, he pointed out that you were tired and not moving as fast as you could in Fasttrack form, and made the decision to get Bakugou and Todoroki after you."

"…so, he's basically the reason I was so badly screwed over in the last few minutes of the Flag Battle," muttered Kyosuke. Kendou nodded in confirmation.

As they reached the audience box, they could see that the battle was already well underway- and close to being finished.

Yaoyorozu was helplessly struggling to escape the stage, which had been softened into a giant pool of liquid, while Honenuki was standing on what seemed to be the only patch of solid ground at the centre. He was clearly shouting something; probably a warning to give up soon or he would harden the ground and trap her within it.

"Ah, crap," muttered Kyosuke, as Yaoyorozu hung her head, and Midnight (who was off the stage and on the grass outside it) declared Honenuki the winner.

"AHAHA! As expected from Class A!" yelled Monoma from the box next to them, poking his head out on top of the barrier separating them. "So high and mighty, yet on the real stage they fold like wet paper b-!"

"Shut _up_, Monoma!" a black-haired boy with a bandana around his forehead yelled, hitting him on the head. "Sorry about him," he grunted to the frankly startled 1-A. "He's just a little…you know." He made the 'cuckoo' sign over his head.

"…how on Earth did you work with that guy in the Flag Battle, Kirihara-kun?" asked Kendou, looking horrified.

Kyosuke shrugged. "He knew when to keep his head in the game and not run his mouth instead." He decided not to mention the number of times Monoma had needled him throughout the round.

"Doesn't look like it," muttered Kendou.

"Say, where's Uraraka?" asked Kirishima suddenly.

"Huh?" A quick survey of the area showed a distinct absence of the brunette- as well as a certain black-haired bespectacled robot boy.

"Probably an attack of the nerves," offered Ashido. "She is facing the Golden Boy, after all."

Kyosuke felt a twinge of unease. He respected Uraraka as a fellow classmate and viewed her as someone he wouldn't be able to win against without using his full power. If she felt that she didn't stand a chance against him…well, that was just wrong. He didn't think of himself as this unbeatable creature, no matter how many powers the Omnitrix gave him.

He only hoped that she could give her best against him when the time came, or he wouldn't feel good about fighting her- as arrogant as that sounded.

"Look, it's Todoroki's round," said Kendou quietly. Kyosuke looked up to see that indeed, Todoroki and Tetsutetsu were approaching the stage. While Tetsutetsu had his usual scowl on, Todoroki's expression was as black as thunder and he looked absolutely livid. It was so jarringly different from his usual expressionlessness that the 1-A box was quite taken aback.

"What did you _say_ to him when he dragged you off during lunch to make him look like that?" hissed Kirishima at him. Kyosuke could only shrug helplessly. "I'm not sure."

It was at that moment that Monoma decided to make a nuisance of himself yet again. "It's not as if Todoroki has a chance anyway!" he trilled in a highly annoying fashion, leaning over the bannister like before. "Obviously you 1-A lot are too dumb to figure it out, but our Tetsutetsu's Steel Quirk makes him completely impervious to temperature-related attacks! Both ice and fire are useless against him, and it's not as if the son of Endeavour ever relies on anything else! TOO BAD, CLASS A-!"

_THWAP!_

Monoma met fist, Monoma met ground… face-first. Kyosuke would have felt sympathy for the blond had Kaminari, Sero and Ashido not been laughing their asses off behind him. He was struggling to hide a smile himself.

"Match…start!" yelled Midnight, flicking her cat-o-nine tails outward and instantly, Tetsutetsu dashed forth, his skin glinting silver with metal. Todoroki did nothing for a few minutes, allowing him to come, then-

A literal _tidal wave_ of ice burst out from his right side, knocking the grey-haired boy over with ease and advancing beyond the boundary line of the stadium, _blocking out the sun_ with how gargantuan it was.

Tetsutetsu was hopelessly entrapped. Despite his immunity to the cold, he was still being crushed underneath hundreds of kilograms of ice- there was absolutely no way he was going to be able to escape so easily, if at all. The temperature had dropped several degrees, with several students having started to shiver- Kyosuke included.

"Dontcha think this is a little overkill?" asked Tetsutetsu angrily, still immobile despite his apparent struggles to free himself. Todoroki stared back rigidly, like an angry god, shaking off the ice that had formed over his right side.

Kyosuke was going to have to fight _this _in the second round of matches if he won against Uraraka?

Midnight, who was herself frozen partially, shakily raised her whip. "Tetsutetsu-kun, can you move?"

"Heck no! Unfreeze me already, god damn it!" came the angry reply.

"Then Todoroki-kun is the victor!"

"Oh...oh my god," said Kendou in horror, a hand over her mouth. "Todoroki-kun is so, so strong…"

"Just think," mused Kirishima to himself. "If Todoroki pulled that shit on Kirihara before he could access the Omnitrix, he'd be even worse off than that Tetsutetsu guy."

"A human popsicle, at its finest," grinned Ashido, but there was unease radiating off of everyone in the 1-A box. Unease for not just Kyosuke, but for anyone who might have to face the son of Endeavour throughout the Sports Festival.

What was stopping anyone of them from ending up like the grey-haired boy, no matter how well they knew Todoroki's powers?

"Tetsutetsu!" yelled someone from 1-B- a girl with horns and blonde hair. "You were really cool! Don't mind it!"

"Y-yes!" said an audience member, with others soon taking up the chant. "Don't mind it! Don't mind it!"

Todoroki had attained a complete victory without using his full power, as he had pledged. He had not used his left side. He hadn't suffered an iota of damage. He was doing exactly as he'd said he would.

So why, thought Kyosuke to himself, surrounded by chants of 'don't mind it', as Todoroki began to melt the iceberg that he'd created to free Tetsutetsu, did he look so sad?

* * *

**Hey guys. Happy New Year! Considering I'd forgotten to put it in the previous chapter.**

**The Sports Festival is kind of exhausting to write- I'm trying not to stick to cliched matchups to keep things fresh and not stick to overdone stuff such as having our MC fight the brainwasher, so here we are.**

**How would a fight between Kirihara and Shinsou go, anyway? I'm betting that unless the Omnitrix has some emergency function to change his form upon his getting Brainwashed, he'd lose for sure. But what do you guys think?**

**Also, Honenuki would absolutely screw Yaoyorozu over in a fight. All the manga readers know that he's a flexible thinker and can come up with stuff on the fly while adapting to most situations quickly. That doesn't go well with Yaomomo, who's rigid and low in self-confidence. As it's something most people know about by now, I didn't bother elaborating much on that particular battle- it doesn't change the lessons Yaomomo has to learn nor the flaws which made her lose.**

**However, this loss _will_ hurt her more here than in canon considering she only made it through because Team C elected her to continue instead of her passing by-and-large on her own merit as she did in canon.**

**Anyway, to that one person who complained that the crowd was basically silent throughout the Plumbers' arrival, I reread that chapter and figured that I did specifically mention that the crowd was yelling and was close to panic (really, I did), and furthermore, I'm writing things from Kirihara's perspective. Kirihara, who had been freaking out about his watch glowing yellow.**

**Hence, a lack of elaboration on the screaming crowd.**

**If it still bothers you, my apologies.**

**As for the other guest who asked about Vilgax, I do have plans for his arrival, but he won't be coming for a good while. Suffice it to say he's gonna be one of the story's Bigger Bads. I owe him that much.**

**Also, I recently watched Kimi no Suizou o Tabetai (I Want to Eat Your Pancreas) and I was too emotionally drained to write for a while. Yes, I _know_ it's basically KimiUso with more sentimentality but it still hurt to watch, okay! If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend you do. Despite what the title implies, zombies are not involved.**

**See you soon!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

"That was sloppily done, Shouto," said Enji Todoroki- no, he was _Endeavour_ today- with eyes as cold as the tundra.

Shouto stared back expressionlessly. The two of them were in a hallway within the campus that led to the stadium in one direction, and Waiting Room 1 in the other. While they were father and son, the air between them was more akin to two big cats circling each other, electric with tension and rage from either side.

"See, Endeavour," said Shouto with narrowed eyes, "I don't care what you think. I won that match in under five seconds; that too _without_ using my left side, just as I'd said I would. I don't need your fire to win the Sports Festival and I won't need it to surpass you or anyone else."

Endeavour gave a mocking smile. "Your performance throughout the Festival says otherwise, boy," he drawled. "You came second in the Obstacle Race and couldn't steal Team A's flag even with that unpleasant classmate of yours aiding you."

Shouto gritted his teeth, a memory of Kirihara facing him in that alleyway, grey eyes metallic and intense, flashing before him. "My match against Kirihara will prove me right," he snapped.

"No, Shouto," sneered Endeavour. "If you do not resolve this childishness you are exhibiting, you will lose to him, just as you've continued to lose against him throughout your time at U.A."

"You mean like how you've lost against All Might throughout your career as a hero," shot back the teenager. It was a petty, underhanded blow, but he didn't care. Watching the scowl form on the bastard's face was worth it.

"Watch your tongue, boy," snarled Endeavour. "I am your father and you will respect me as such. Your pettiness and refusal to use your flames will cost you dearly against him, and you know it."

Father? Since when had Endeavour acted as a father to him? To Natsuo and Fuyumi, his older siblings? Had Endeavour acted as a father to any of them when Touya had _taken his own_ _life_?

When Shouto stayed quiet, Endeavour took it as an invitation to continue haranguing him. "I've tolerated your whims long enough. As the son of the Flame Hero, you _will_ use your flames and honour my legacy, or face the consequences."

This was enough to make the teenager snap.

"_You are not my father_." The statement was cold, furious, ripping. "_And I will not use your flames_."

With that, he spun on his heel to leave, ignoring Endeavour's spitting growls of rage.

* * *

She really needed to get her stomach to settle down, or she would never be able to give Kirihara a decent match.

Ochaco took a deep breath, wrapping her tracksuit more tightly around herself. So, she knew that Kirihara could transform into ten aliens. Eleven, counting Four Arms- or Buff Red, _hah_\- and she knew of about seven. Rath, the tiger with the six-inch-long claws; Big Chill, the moth-man who could turn intangible and breathe ice; Four Arms, who had four arms and a hell of a lot of muscle; that giant dinosaur thing he'd used in the Entrance Exam; Chromastone, who could shoot lasers; Swampfire, whom he'd used in the U.S.J; and Fasttrack, who had super speed.

That made four aliens whose abilities Ochaco had no idea of. And then there was the issue of what to do against the aliens whose abilities she did know of. What would happen if he used Chromastone? She couldn't touch lasers without burning her hands off! And what if he turned into Four Arms or that dinosaur guy and started curb-stomping her? She was willing to bet that the dinosaur would be able to knock her out of the stage by _breathing _on her.

Ochaco felt a hand cautiously rubbing her back and she smiled slightly. Thank heavens for Iida; if it hadn't been for him she would have probably already stress-vomited her entire lunch. "Uraraka-kun, please don't panic. Kirihara-kun may be arguably the strongest student our class has to offer, but he is in no way unbeatable."

"I know that, Iida," she hugged herself for comfort. They were in an alleyway leading to the stage entrance, as her match would be starting as soon as the stage was completely cleared of ice. "I'm just worried about the numbers of powers he's got at his disposal…"

"Fair enough," acknowledged Iida. "Kirihara-kun has the powers of eleven different aliens flowing through him, correct?" When Uraraka nodded, he ploughed on. "Well, is there any particular alien you are worried about?"

"Chromastone," she answered without hesitation. "And maybe Swampfire and Big Chill."

He rubbed his jaw, looking conflicted. "Uraraka-kun, while I do not mean to say your worries are baseless, I also would like to say that the probability that he actually uses these three forms- especially Big Chill and Chromastone- is not as high as one would initially expect."

Ochaco scrunched her brow in confusion. "What makes you say that, Iida-kun?"

"Kirihara-kun is in no way unintelligent," Iida spoke slowly as if he was reaffirming his own words as he was speaking them. "He probably knows that using Chromastone against any member of our class, expect perhaps Kirishima-kun, is a bad idea. His lasers will hurt anyone approaching them immensely. I suspect it will keep him from exercising that particular form's powers to their fullest. Also, he has already used Big Chill in the Flag Battle and will likely not use him again, because not only does he have to show off more of his capabilities, but also you can levitate his ice, and flying or staying intangible will only prolong the match, using up his Omnitrix battery."

Ochaco felt her eyes widen. She'd never thought of that. Confidence began to well up in her as Iida continued.

"Swampfire is, of course, another dangerous opponent, and the likelihood that Kirihara-kun uses him is significantly higher. However, it is a simple matter to avoid his flames, as he has not yet demonstrated the range that Bakugou, for example, does; and even if he does have this range, it is possible to avoid his attacks. And if he tries to use his vines, you can easily levitate those, so they will not be a problem."

"You see, Uraraka-kun?" Iida smiled at her. "Kirihara is in no way unbeatable."

"I-I- oh my _God_, Iida-kun, you have no idea how much better you've just made me feel," she gasped out. She felt a little bad for relying on him like this, but that was tamped out by the major relief she had just acquired about her chances. He was right; her chances of victory _weren't_ zero.

"What about you, Iida-kun? What do you think you're gonna do against Shouji?" asked Ochaco.

"I have the Recipro Burst," Iida reminded her. "I can push him out of bounds if nothing else."

"That's good, at any rate-" she was interrupted by the sound of the announcer's mic. "Will the next match's combatants approach the stage please?"

"Good luck, Uraraka-kun," said Iida, squeezing her shoulder before departing. Ochaco faced forward, a look of determination on her face.

She was not going to lose to Kirihara, no matter what!

* * *

"**On one corner, we have the girl who defies physics! Who makes things weightless! From the Hero Course, it's OCHACO URARAKA!"** yelled Present Mic.

"**And on the other corner! The boy who can do anything besides get his hair to stop sticking up! The top freshman of the year, the almighty shapeshifter, KYOSUKE KIRIHARA!"**

Kyosuke winced as laughter streamed down the stands at the comment about his hair and ruefully ran his fingers through it. While he was feeling pretty flattered by 'almighty shapeshifter' and 'top freshman of the year', it seemed that Present Mic wasn't going to let him go without getting in _something_ edgewise.

"Um…Kirihara-kun?" came a voice from in front of him; obviously, from Uraraka. He looked up in slight surprise, only to see the brunette staring at him with a determined expression on her face. "I'd just like to say…I'm going to be coming at you with everything I have. Can you…can you please do the same?"

Kyosuke couldn't help but smile slightly. "Uraraka, I see you as an opponent I can't win against _unless_ I take you seriously. You said you're going to be coming at me with everything you have? I'm going to be doing the same."

He brought up the Omnitrix menu, cycling to the alien he wanted but not pressing down on the hologram just yet, only taking up a fighting stance with his hand ready to press down on the raised watch face. Uraraka similarly assumed a low stance, eyes narrow- obviously aiming to rush him and use her Quirk so that he would be left helplessly floating in the air.

The priority of the fight was not to let Uraraka touch him, he thought wryly to himself.

Midnight raised her cat-o-nine tails. "Now, both of you. I understand you want to prove yourself to the masses of pro heroes waiting to pick the best of you to intern under them, but I don't want either of you going overboard. Got it?"

Both of them nodded, not taking their eyes off of each other.

"BEGIN!"

Uraraka came at him instantly, but his hand was already on the Omnitrix, pressing down before being swathed in green light.

"_**Swampfire!"**_

He was then forced to leap aside to dodge Uraraka's outstretched hand and tossed a few seed pods at her direction. Her eyes widened- before thick vines erupted from the pods, catching her up and tossing her aside.

"Not going to be that easy!" yelled Uraraka, gripping the vines with one hand and using the other on herself. Activating her Quirk, she propelled herself into the air (using the vines as a launchpad) and towards Swampfire, the vines uselessly rising to the sky and Uraraka herself falling towards him as her weight returned to her-

-where she was met with a highly compressed fireball to the torso, which exploded on impact and flung her backwards.

"Ahh!" She careened to the floor before landing hard and rolling to her feet. Still not dead, still fighting, still dangerous. Swampfire responded with yet another fireball, which she was too slow to dodge and had to suffer the brunt of once more.

"**WHAT a fiery start to the match!"** screamed Present Mic. **"It looks like Kirihara- or Swampfire, I should say- is pulling out all the stops!"**

"Had enough yet?" asked Swampfire mildly, readying a few more seed pods in his hand while shaping some methane in his other.

"No way!" yelled Uraraka fiercely, coming out of the resultant smoke with fierce determination, charging low once more.

"I didn't think so." Swampfire flung out the seed pods once more. Uraraka squeaked before moving to one side, but not fast enough to avoid the new set of vines exploding outward and striking out. She yelled in pain, stumbling forward- only to be launched back by another fireball courtesy of the methanogenic life-form.

Up in the bleachers, most of the class was throwing a fit.

"Kirihara's just battering Uraraka around without mercy!" yelled Hagakure in outrage.

"At this rate…" Iida winced as Uraraka fell to the ground once more, the crumbled remains of the stadium scattering around her.

"Ahh, I can't watch anymore, I can't!" wailed Jirou, putting her hands over her eyes.

"What an idiot." Bakugou folded his arms and peered at the stage with a scowl on his face.

Kendou looked at him angrily. "Don't talk about Uraraka that way!"

Bakugou gave a wide, ominous grin. "And who said I was talking about Round Face, shithead?"

Once more, Uraraka charged at him, only for Swampfire to unleash an explosive torrent of flames at the ground beneath their feet, knocking her back brutally. He winced, drawing back his palms. Shit, shit…he shouldn't go overboard and end up burning her face off or something…

"Not ye-e-e-t!" an animalistic war cry came from the whitish smoke coming from the residual fire, and the brunette, once more, came at him running. He resorted to blowing up a fireball straight at where she was approaching, sending her flying off once more. What was she doing? Charging at him, again and again, would only wear her down…unless. _Unless_. She had something up her sleeve, which she was saving for the last minute.

Uraraka was struggling to stand, pain clouding her vision and burns streaking her tracksuit. Swampfire assumed a fighting stance, narrowing his eyes at her. How much of his battery had been used up? Five minutes? Ten?

His opponent chuckled slightly, straightening up and facing him. "Thank you, Kirihara-kun…for facing me head-on… for taking me seriously…"

Swampfire's eyes widened. Wait- where was all the rubble from the stage he'd created with his vines and his fireballs?

Surely- she couldn't have-!

"But," finished Uraraka, "you may want to look up, now."

He did, and his eyes widened to see hundreds of pieces of rock floating above him, waiting to be released, like a meteor shower. Instantly, he brought his hands up, generating as much methane as he could-

Because if he didn't put everything he had into this next attack, he would be _crushed_ beneath this veritable rain of stone falling upon him-

"I'm gonna win!" declared the girl in a guttural growl, bringing her fingertips together and charging once more, as she had so many times earlier- but now with a literal hail of falling rock to aid her.

Swampfire was seemingly doing nothing- simply standing with his arms in the air. Waiting, waiting…

("She had such a desperate plan up her sleeve this whole time?" asked Yaoyorozu in awe.

"Wonder what Kirihara's doing." Sero leaned over intently. "He's just standing there and doing nothing."

Tenya frowned. Why were his surroundings seemingly undulating slightly? Why could he smell something disgusting in the air? Almost as if there was- and didn't Swampfire produce flames by igniting methane-?

Realization dawned on him with a blinding flash-

"Uraraka-kun, _look out-_!")

"_INFERNO OVERDRIVE!"_

And with the devastating roar of an immense firestorm coming to life, Swampfire's hands ignited, a torrent of flames blasting outward like a phoenix taking flight, _obliterating_ the meteor storm to nothing but a few pebbles and dust with a tremendous shockwave of force and heat.

Uraraka was blown backwards, the shockwave catching her and throwing her up, then down to the ground. Her tracksuit was burned away, leaving her in nothing but a black sleeveless undershirt and blackened pants.

The resultant smoke prevented anyone from seeing anything for a while. Kirishima stood up in his seat, unable to tamp down his excitement. "_Did you see that_?! Kirihara just straight-up _destroyed_ that meteor shower like it was nothing!" he hollered.

"Where is Uraraka-kun?" called Iida, standing up as well.

"Do you think she's been knocked out of bounds?" asked Yaoyorozu, who had joined them after her match with Honenuki.

As the smoke cleared, they could see that Uraraka hadn't been knocked out of bounds- she was pretty close, but still well within the limits of the boundary.

Swampfire narrowed his eyes and began to walk towards her cautiously. Hopefully, he hadn't overdone it- but he wasn't about to underestimate her. Only- she was trying to get up again.

Despite being knocked over so many times, having her ultimate plan fail, she wasn't giving up.

In the bleachers, Yaoyorozu was covering her mouth in horror, Kirishima looked half uneasy and half admiring of Uraraka's unrelenting manliness, Ashido and Kendou were holding each other's hands as tightly as they could and Bakugou was merely watching; not moving, not speaking.

"Oh no, Uraraka-kun…" Iida murmured sympathetically. "Please don't try and get up any more."

From somewhere within the campus, Todoroki was watching from a screen, his eyes narrowed and focused.

"Damn…" mumbled the alien without realizing. However, he needed to finish this, and soon. He began walking towards his opponent, all the while mixing a certain derivative of methane in his palms for whenever he might need it.

Trichloromethane, otherwise known as chloroform or sleeping gas. He had discovered that he could make it during his training for the Sports Festival and had been waiting to use it ever since. He didn't want to hurt his opponent any longer than he needed to and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to end the match without wounding her further.

Uraraka was struggling to get up, to charge at him again-

He stepped back, cautious-

Only for her to stumble to the ground once more, on her knees, supporting herself with one arm.

"I'm…gonna be a hero…!" she slurred. Swampfire watched her, feeling admiration and sadness course through him in equal measure. "Gonna…win…Dad…_Mom_…" Tears were forming in her eyes.

Swampfire knelt in front of her, looking her in the eyes, and gently expelled the sleeping gas directly into her face.

Exhausted as she was, the chloroform worked quickly, knocking her out to sleep. The tears in her eyes rolled down her face unbidden.

She had lost.

Swampfire tapped the Omnitrix dial, changing back to his human form, and looked at Midnight. That was all that needed to be said.

"Uraraka-san is unable to continue! The winner is Kirihara-kun!"

"**A STUPENDOUS match!"** yelled Present Mic, sounding absolutely delighted.** "Though there's hardly a mark on Kirihara, we can't deny Uraraka's tenacity and willpower! I dunno about y'all watching out there but I'm gonna remember this one for ages!"**

Kyosuke's eyes remained fixed on Uraraka's unconscious form even as the audience roared around him.

"I'll take it from here," said Cementoss gently, raising a hand to rebuild the stage with a surge of fresh grey cement while gesturing for Kyosuke to step off. "That was an excellent match, Kirihara. Er, just for curiosity's sake, what did you use to finally put her to sleep?"

"Trichloromethane. Sleeping gas," mumbled the white-haired boy, watching the unconscious Uraraka be carried off on a stretcher by two small robots. "Swampfire can produce any methanogenic compound if he concentrates enough, and trichloromethane one of the simplest methane derivatives there is…"

"Hmm, how interesting," smiled Cementoss. Kyosuke felt the need to apologize for the way he'd torn up the rubble with his vines, but the Modern Literature teacher only waved him off. "Don't worry about the stage. Concentrate on what you should do to keep up your performance from here on out."

Musing to himself, Kyosuke exited the stage and made his way to the audience box once more. That had been the most intense match he'd ever participated in, and that included the one he'd had against Bakugou and Todoroki along with Yaoyorozu. Uraraka had put up an amazing fight and he was proud to call her his classmate, no matter the result.

"That was such an amazing match, Kirihara-kun!" he heard a voice cry out, along with a pair of arms tightly encircling his shoulders and a head nestle in the crook of his neck. Spluttering slightly, he returned Kendou's hug as best as he could. "Thanks, Kendou," he mumbled. Ashido was next, slapping both of her palms against his in a double high-five.

"Did ya seriously make sleeping gas, in the end, to take her out?" asked Kirishima with interest behind her as Kendou stepped back, grinning.

"Yep," nodded Kyosuke. "Chloroform, like in the movies."

"So manly!"

"You think everything is manly." Kyosuke chuckled in amusement.

"Anyway, who's up next? Bakugou?" asked Kendou.

"Yeah…with Hagakure," realized Ashido.

The four of them winced simultaneously.

"I- I mean…uh- nothing against Hagakure, but…" Kendou stated awkwardly.

"It's _Bakugou_." Kyosuke scratched his head, feeling apologetic toward the invisible girl despite she not even being anywhere near him. Wait…had she passed him on his way back on her own way to the stadium? That would explain why he hadn't seen anyone… "He's tougher than nails."

"Heck, even Todoroki…" mumbled Kirishima. Before anyone of them could unintentionally badmouth Hagakure further, a voice came on the announcer's mic. **"And Hagakure's out of bounds! The winner is Bakugou!... Uhh, don't feel too bad Hagakure, I don't think even I could do anything against that…"**

"You're a filthy liar," came Aizawa-sensei's voice, dry and amused.

With all of them offering the invisible girl unspoken apologies, Kyosuke patted Kirishima on the back. "Looks like you're next, Kirishima. Good luck."

The redhead grinning, banging his fists together. "I'm up for it!"

* * *

Having Todoroki, Kirihara and Bakugou's matches back-to-back probably hadn't been the best idea, in hindsight. One had frozen the stage over, one had torn it up with vines and highly compressed bombs of fire, and one…surprisingly enough, had done nothing more than blow up parts of the ground to make a ring around himself so that his invisible opponent wouldn't be able to sneak up on him without causing a lot of noise from the rubble surrounding him.

For Bakugou to be the least destructive of 1-A's so-called best three for once…was that not anti-climax at its finest, right there?

Wiping the last vestiges of tears from her eyes, Ochaco blew her nose into the last of the tissues Recovery Girl had left for her. She'd done a lot of crying throughout the afternoon. First, after the match- right on the stage, where everyone had been _watching_\- and then after the phone call with her parents, which she'd had right after waking up.

A knock on the door alerted her to someone's presence, and she looked up, expecting to see Recovery Girl, but instead, to her surprise, it was Kendou, looking a strange mixture of sheepish and concerned. Hand still poised to knock, she said, "Um…may I come in, Uraraka?"

"Oh, uh, sure." She hastily tried to shove all the tissues she'd used into the nearby dustpan, though from her Class Rep's expression, she could see she wasn't fooled. "How do you feel?" she asked.

"Well, after Kirihara-kun hit me with fireballs and vines like God intended, sleeping gas was a nice change," Ochaco grinned. Or did her best to do so, anyway. "I was able to get some rest if nothing else."

"I meant about the match against Kirihara-kun," said Kendou, looking nervous yet committed. Ochaco's smile (or whatever rictus mimicry she'd managed to put up to deter any concern) crumbled, and she wrapped her arms around her knees. "Well, what can I say?" She tried not to let her voice break. "Kirihara-kun is…I mean, he's so, so strong, isn't he? I didn't- I never stood a chance."

"Uraraka, you brought half the stage down on him and weathered fireballs being thrown at you like- as you said- God intended," Kendou told her firmly. "Whether you stood a chance or not, you put up a fight worthy of any hero."

"I should've done better," mumbled Ochaco, eyes and ears both burning at the praise.

"Maybe," Kendou conceded. "But that's exactly why you're in the best Hero School Japan has to offer, right? All of us are here simply so that when we do get our internships, our mentors will know exactly what they have to do to help us get better." The orange-haired girl smiled at her, and she almost burst into tears right then and there.

"I- I just," she fought to keep herself together. "I felt so _weak_, going up against him. Whatever I threw at him, he just blew apart. I couldn't leave a mark on him, and whenever he transforms into a new alien, part of me always thinks that someone like me will never catch up to him, no matter how hard I try."

"What do you mean, 'someone like you'?" Kendou frowned at her. "Uraraka, if we're talking about powers, let me remind you that one of us has a living shadow monster thing in his belly, another can somehow control both ice and fire, one more person can give out a million volts of electricity without somehow blowing his nervous system up, and this girl I know is capable of giving the law of gravitation the middle finger and getting away with it."

Ochaco gave a sputter of surprised laughter.

"Whereas I," continued Kendou, "can only make my hands bigger. Kind of underwhelming compared to the rest of the class, huh?"

"You're not underwhelming- Kendou-san, you're Class Rep for a reason," fumed Ochaco, her previous amusement evaporating, but the sudden grin on her classmate's face stopped her short.

"See?" asked Kendou. "The point I'm trying to make is that all of us are battling through our own insecurities, our own worries so that we can one day stand against those that threaten peace and beat them down. Even Kirihara, though I admit he doesn't show it."

"Sometimes, when he looks at the watch on his wrist, he's reminded that he wasn't born with this sort of power; that someone else made the Omnitrix and gave it to him. And when he does, he feels like he doesn't deserve it, you know? I'm his friend, so I can tell. He feels like he doesn't deserve all of this power at his fingertips; the ability to gain strength, speed, elemental manipulation, flight...all at the press of a watch. That's a part of why he trains every day; so that he can one day tell himself that he _is_ worthy of this power that makes us all admire him so."

"But one day," Kendou clenched her fists. "One day, he'll understand that it's _his_ power. His, and nobody else's, regardless of who made the Omnitrix. And when he does…he'll become the hero he's aspiring to be every day. Just like when all of us manage to battle our own insecurities and become the kind of heroes we want to be."

The Class Rep smiled at Ochaco, and for an instant, she was filled with enlightenment; like someone had come and shined a divine light on the darkness of her despair, and she felt lighter than she had ever since her loss.

"You're not alone, Uraraka. You never will be, because all of us, here, can understand at least a bit of how you feel."

* * *

Kirishima had utterly trounced Tsuburaba in their match. It turned out that even the strongest Solid Air wall the latter had had to offer stood nothing against Kirishima's Hardened punches. While Kyosuke was happy for his friend, it also meant that he would be facing Bakugou in their next match. Kind of a scary concept on the best of days, and what with the tenacity Bakugou had been exhibiting throughout the day, it didn't say much for the redhead's chances.

At least Kirishima was optimistic about it all. How he managed to remain so, Kyosuke did not know, but damn if he didn't draw comfort and inspiration from it. Chuckling as the redhead went off into another spiel about how he would give Bakugou the manliest fight he'd ever experienced, Kyosuke kept his eyes on Iida, racing around Shouji with blue fire spurting from his engines, his frame blurred as he pushed the larger student out of bounds in the blink of an eye.

He winced slightly, watching Midnight give the victory to Iida. While he sympathized with Shouji for losing to Iida so quickly, the Engine user was a formidable opponent even without that insane rush of speed he called the Recipro Burst. Even Fasttrack would have a hard time matching that. Well, if he did end up facing Iida, it would be in the finals. And that meant he would have to get through monsters like Bakugou, Kirishima and whoever was the winner of the last match of the day- Monoma or Shiozaki.

It was only two more matches, and then he'd be squaring off with Todoroki. Kyosuke shivered at the thought, a mix of excitement and trepidation consuming him.

After observing Todoroki's match against Tetsutetsu, and drawing from his own conclusions in the Battle Training, he was pretty sure that his Quirk worked like a temperature stabilizer. If he leaned too much in one direction, his body suffered the consequences. If he overused his ice, he would eventually succumb to hypothermia or frostbite. If he overused his fire, he would get fevers. That was how Ice and Fire Quirks normally worked; it was just that since Todoroki had both, he could use one side after the other so that his body temperature could be regulated.

He wanted to make Todoroki use his fire. Not because he wanted a fight with him at full power or anything like that, but because he wanted to help him. What would it do for Todoroki to keep repressing his Quirk like that? Coasting by throughout his time at U.A using only half of his true strength just because he wanted to get back at his father? How could Kyosuke just sit back and let him keep doing that, especially when he had the power to change it?

Obviously, he wouldn't use Swampfire. He was above all a plant-like being, and plants didn't do too well in the cold. Similar to Humungosaur, as he was a reptile. He would probably be able to destroy the ice with ease, though. Hmm… Todoroki wouldn't be using his fire, so he would be succumbing to hypothermia pretty quickly. Maybe, if he could take advantage of that with Big Chill and Four Arms…?

If he could pull off what he had in mind, he would be able to achieve what he wanted to in this match. His inexperience with Four Arms would just have to take a backseat.

This match was more important than that.

Paying attention to the stage once more, he noticed that Monoma and Shiozaki were already on it. Shiozaki was standing with her hands clasped as if in prayer, while Monoma was smirking confidently as if he'd already won the match. Unsurprised by the blond's attitude, Kyosuke leaned forward in anticipation. What the outcome would be, he honestly couldn't say; but this would be a good chance to study the Quirks of the two B students in more detail.

When Midnight brought her cat-o-nine tails down with an audible crack, Shiozaki wasted no time, the thorny vines on her head (that reminded Kyosuke ostensibly of Swampfire) whipping forward to stab at Monoma-

-but they suddenly stopped short, quivering right in front of Monoma's profile.

"What?" asked Kirishima in confusion, as the audience murmured with similar surprise. "What's going on? Why isn't Shiozaki finishing this?"

Monoma grinned viciously. "Shiozaki-san, please **walk out of bounds**."

A second later, Shiozaki had retracted her vines, turned around and numbly made her way off of the stage. Midnight, looking shocked, raised her whip once more. "Shiozaki-san is out of bounds! Monoma-kun is the winner!"

Kyosuke leapt out of his chair in shock, ignoring his friends' sudden exclamations. This power…he'd seen it before. It had been used in front of him several times. He _knew_ this power.

Instinctively, his eyes sought out the students sitting in the crowd of the General Education students, fixating on one in particular. Shinsou had also gotten up from his chair and was observing the events on the stage with a look of astonishment not dissimilar to Kyosuke's.

When had Monoma Copied his Quirk? Granted, it was an ingenious manoeuvre, and certainly, the fastest way to end a match using Monoma's powerset, but this level of cunning- using the Quirk of someone already knocked out of the tournament- was a bit…

But who was he to criticise? It wasn't as if Monoma had the powers of eleven different creatures, most of which had multiple powers of their own, he thought with a bit of dark humour.

"**W-Well, after that anticlimactic match," **stammered Present Mic, before regaining his stride once more,** "we'll be taking a five-minute break to let our dear quarter-finalists rest up a bit! Then y'all better get ready for the greatest set of matches you've ever seen! YEAH!"**

"Next round, you can let Snipe be your guest commentator," muttered Aizawa, followed by the sounds of him trying to escape the booth and Mic failing to restrain him.

Kyosuke took a deep breath, letting his soul fill up with anticipation.

In a few more minutes, he would be battling Todoroki on that stage.

* * *

"It's good to see you again, All Might," said Sir Nighteye. His dark expression instead suggested that coming to visit his former boss was a trial he would undergo Tickle Hell to escape. Of course, Toshinori knew better. As Recovery Girl often told him, usually in sharp jibes and scolding, Nighteye would do anything for him, even after all their years of separation.

"Likewise, Nighteye," said the blond man, in his skinny form despite their audience, a wide-eyed young boy of about seventeen. Mirio Togata, in all his muscled, blue-eyed glory. He had not needed an introduction to recognize the young student immediately. Togata was after all his top pick for passing on the torch that was One for All.

Speaking of which, when Nighteye had learned of Toshinori's intentions to pass his Quirk to Togata, he had been ecstatic- as ecstatic as a stoic like Nighteye could get, anyway- but had insisted on All Might being present when the reveal was made to his protégé. While Toshinori would have preferred Nighteye himself telling Togata about One for All, the man had been imperishable.

The third-year Sports Festival had just concluded, and Togata had swept the top spot just ahead of the other Big Three, leaving the rest of his classmates in the dust. It had been an incredible performance worthy of a student stated to be the closest man to Number One after All Might's eventual retirement- including the rest of the Pros.

"I'd first like to say- congratulations, Young Togata, on your win today," smiled Toshinori, nodding at the shining gold medal around the boy's neck. Sir Nighteye gave the tiniest of smiles as the boy laughed sheepishly, scratching his head. "Thank you, All Might-sensei, but it is mostly Sir's work that has helped me improve to this extent."

Humble to a fault, yet in top physical condition and with a smile that could light up a room. Really, he was the perfect pick for One for All.

"Now, I'm sure you're wondering why I've called you out here today," said Toshinori, looking at him seriously. Togata nodded, his smile disappearing and a look of concentration taking its place. "It had crossed my mind."

Toshinori hesitated, before ploughing on. "Well, there's no easy way to say this, but have you heard of my Quirk?"

Togata tilted his head. "It's one of the hottest online debates of all time even now," he said. "With the appearance of your- er- _skinny_ form, the debate has only flared up. You have never chosen to answer any questions about it in any press conference you've been to, so we're completely in the dark save for your super strength and your bodily mutations. Some say it is solar power giving you your strength. Others believe it is radioactive blood."

Toshinori huffed a quiet laugh. "Nothing so dramatic," he said. "Let me tell you, young Togata, of the story behind my Quirk and its origins."

They did not leave the room for almost an hour.

* * *

Kyosuke could feel his cheeks start to hurt from grinning at Kendou's second victory of the day. She had been awesome, leaping over Honenuki's attempt to use his Quirk and using her Final Strike again, knocking him out of bounds. She had kept her promise to advance to the semis, her only chance to face him in direct combat.

And Kyosuke was not going to lose to Todoroki, no matter what.

Sadly, he was entering the stadium from a different waiting room, which meant that he could not congratulate her until after his own match was over. Making his way to the stadium, he took several deep breaths. He had a plan. He had a plan, and if it worked, the match was his.

All of a sudden, a figure wreathed in flames stepped in front of him. The Number Two Hero, Endeavour. Kyosuke almost leapt into the air in surprise. "Endeavour?!"

The Flame Hero peered at him in a strange mixture of derision and surprise. "Oh? So, I did take a wrong turn."

"Endeavour…what are you doing here?" Kyosuke narrowed his eyes, remembering what Todoroki had said about the man. Sudden anger welled up within him, and he did his best to quash it down.

"I know your match with my son is about to start." Endeavour's eyes were like chips of cold granite, in stark contrast to the flames swirling about his form. "So, I'll keep this short."

"You've outmatched Shouto at every turn throughout the Festival. However, your wins against him end here. Once he is spurred to use his fire, he won't lose to anyone else. I expect you to give him a match that is worthy enough to make him do so."

"Listen here, Endeavour," snarled Kyosuke, stopping the man short. "Todoroki is not you. He isn't your weapon to use as you please, or your tool to groom. He is his own hero, and the fact that neither of you has realized that yet changes now."

Endeavour's flames flared up. "Mind yourself, boy. An attitude like that won't sit well with your betters."

"I'm surprised you can talk about attitude, considering all you've done to Todoroki and his siblings," spat Kyosuke. Endeavour's eyes widened. "I'll make him use his fire all right. But not for you, not for me, not for anyone else in this stadium. For _himself_. Retribution will come, Endeavour. Maybe not today, but one day, you'll pay for every wrong you've committed."

"Insolent brat," sneered the Flame Hero. "I will enjoy watching your arrogance crumble to the ground when my son stops holding himself back."

Kyosuke ignored him, stepping past him to walk toward the stadium. How had Todoroki tolerated that for so long? Was _that_ what he had had as a father since his birth?

He thought back to his own parents. Memories, half-formed and misty, swirled in his mind. He gritted his teeth, feeling remnants of a childhood he had once had shine so brightly as if to burn him-

At least he had had a happy upbringing for about twelve years of his life. What had Todoroki had except harshness, expectations no boy should have to live up to and a mother who had gone insane and left him with a scar?

Kyosuke was not going to let him languish in his own sorrow any longer.

He stepped up to the stadium, Present Mic's commentary washing over him like incomprehensible static. Todoroki was already on the other side, looking almost lost, nothing like the anger on his face when he had faced Tetsutetsu.

"Todoroki," Kyosuke said, looking directly at his opponent. He was peering at the stadium, eyes roving over where Endeavour was positioned. "Eyes forward. You're facing _me_."

A stricken look passed over the heterochromatic teen's face.

Kyosuke activated his Omnitrix, scrolling over to the alien he wanted. He had to make his plan work. Not just to uphold the promise he had made to Kendou- but also so that he could save Todoroki from himself.

Midnight raised her cat-o-nine tails and flicked it down with a sharp crack. "BEGIN!"

When the expected tidal wave of ice came forth, Kyosuke's hand was already pressing down, encompassing himself in green light as his profile expanded, shoulders, arms, chest and back ballooning with muscle, and skin reddening and toughening into spikes at the elbows and knees. His hair disappeared and an additional pair of arms sprouted from his ribs, his hands gauntleted in black. His chest was bare but for black straps encircling it in a cross shape, and his lower body was clothed in black form-fitting pants. Four green eyes widened in anticipation and a mouth pulled into a grin.

"_**Four Arms!"**_

His next move was to pull all four of his fists back and shatter the ice coming for him in a single move, blowing it into shards. "Is that all you can do, Todoroki?" asked Four Arms idly. His knuckles hadn't even hurt from the impact; it seemed that despite his smaller size, he was only slightly less strong than Humungosaur.

He could work with that. More fists and a smaller frame meant for more concussive power and greater manoeuvrability and slightly greater speed. A well-balanced alien on the physical side of things, if he could ignore this primal joy for combat that seemed to fill him whenever he became Four Arms.

Another iceberg came at him without hesitation. Four Arms sighed, before doing the same thing as he had, this time with even more power than before. The result was chunks of ice being flung backwards, battering Todoroki's lithe frame. He didn't move, didn't even attempt to dodge. He seemed desperate; a rabid look prevailing in his eyes that called for the realization of the familiar light of victory in a world where the darkness of uncertainty plagued him.

"Oi," called out Four Arms. "You could have melted the ice coming at you had you used your fire."

Todoroki gritted his teeth. "Shut up!" he growled. Yet another tidal wave of frost came at him, and the alien only shattered it once more. "Just stop talking!"

"This is seriously getting old," complained Four Arms. "If you don't get a new shtick really quick, I _will_ push you out of this ring- and I'm gonna do it very, very soon."

He proved his point by jumping, high over the next iceberg hurtling towards him, and landing with a heavy crash behind Todoroki, leaving cracks on the stage beneath him. "Surprise," jeered Four Arms, before using his upper left arm to punch the surprised teenager in the back, sending him flying over to his own iceberg.

Todoroki recovered quickly, to his credit, and sent out another wave of ice both to stabilize himself and resume the offence against the alien. Four Arms frowned slightly. What was Todoroki planning? He didn't seem like the type to continue beating a dead horse- but wasn't that what he was doing, just hurling iceberg after iceberg at him? What was he doing? What did he have in mind?

Unless- but yes, of _course_\- Four Arms widened his four eyes in realization, even as he shattered the wave of ice hurtling at him.

"You don't have a plan, do you, Todoroki?" called out Four Arms once more. The other boy's frame locking up only served to prove it. "You don't know what to do. You're lost, uncertain, desperate for a victory to the point where that desire has exceeded your rational thought processes. Why are you even here?"

"Shut UP!" screamed Todoroki, this time generating an even larger iceberg. The alien had to use more strength to break it apart this time. The air around him was getting even colder, to the point where he could see people from the audience start huddling together for warmth. "I won't use my father's flames! I'll beat you and everyone else here using only my ice! I don't _need_ the power my bastard old man's given me!"

"Yeah, see, I don't care about your father any more than you want to!" yelled back Four Arms, shocking Todoroki into silence. Screw the plan to finish him by turning Big Chill and taking advantage of his hypothermia; he was _pissed_ and was not going to let the boy in front of him continue on the path before him any longer. "What is it that _you_ want, Todoroki?! Why are you here at U.A, if becoming the Number One Hero is exactly what your father wants you to do anyway? What is your goal? What do _you_ want to accomplish?"

"To show my old man I don't _need_ his damn flames-"

"Good Lord, there you go again!" yelled Four Arms. "My father this, my old man that- is your entire hero career going to be built on the foundation of giving your old man the middle finger? Are you going to hold your powers back just because of who your father is? Are you going to claim the Number One spot driven by the hate you hold for him?"

"I'm here because I want to protect those who cry out for a hero to save them. I'm here so that I can become the best hero I can be. I'm here because I _made a promise_. So, I'll ask you again; _why are you here_, Todoroki?"

A tear ran down Todoroki's face. "I…I…" he murmured.

Four Arms began to walk towards him, even as another wave of ice came in his direction. He didn't even bother stopping, just swinging his two left arms to pulverize it. Todoroki looked lost, unknowing of where he was, or what he wanted to do. The tears falling from his face froze and fell away.

On the bleachers, most of the class had put on jackets, courtesy of Yaoyorozu's Creation Quirk. Kirishima shivered in his. "M-man, it's like the inside of an air c-conditioner in here."

"A-and the temperature only drops e-every time F-F-Four Arms destroys one of T-Todoroki's icebergs," agreed Kaminari, shaking even worse than the redhead.

Only Kendou and Bakugou- who had refused a jacket- paid attention to the match, ignoring the cold. "Come on, Kirihara-kun. We made a promise, didn't we?" the former mumbled into her newly-created winter garment.

"I'll meet you in the finals, you shapeshifting bastard," growled Bakugou, too lowly for anyone to hear him. "Don't you dare lose to Icy-Hot just 'cause of his fuckin' daddy issues."

Back on the stage, Four Arms tapped the Omnitrix symbol on his shoulder, transforming back into his human form. The cold bit into him with renewed intensity, but he ignored it. He was right in front of Todoroki now; close enough to reach out and touch him.

"It's okay, Todoroki." Kyosuke's voice was calm and soothing. "I promise it'll be fine. Nothing will happen if you use your fire. It's okay."

"No." Todoroki's voice broke, burying his face in his hands. The iceberg behind him- the one Four Arms had launched him into- loomed above both of them. "No, no, _no_."

"_Yes_," said Kyosuke intensely, reaching out and grasping his shoulders. "I promise, it _will_ be fine if you use your flames. Nothing will happen, nothing will change. Because…"

"It's _your_ power, Todoroki. Yours, and nobody else's."

The boy looked up at that, eyes widening, jaw slackening; and Kyosuke grinned with manic pride as the barest of flames began to collect on his left arm, bright against the blank canvas of frost behind him.

"Good. That's it!" grinned Kyosuke, letting go and stepping back. "I'm glad to see you've got your head straight at last."

Todoroki gave a grin back, wide and a little scary, the flames billowing and flaring up. "Heh…helping your enemy, forcing me to draw out my full strength, and now smiling? You're crazy."

"Hahaha! Well, if you put it like that, I can't exactly argue," laughed Kyosuke, pulling up his watch once more. "Now, it's about time we started taking this seriously, don't you, Todoroki?"

The half-and-half boy's grin fell away, a serious look falling into place. "If that's what you want…don't blame me for what happens next, Kirihara."

Kyosuke spun the Omnitrix, pressing down on the hologram he wanted-

"_**Big Chill!"**_

A wave of ice came at him, faster than anything Todoroki had ever produced. With his self-imposed limiter now inactive, Todoroki didn't have to worry about his body temperature. He could produce as much ice as he wanted, as quickly as he wanted, and it was all Big Chill could do to turn intangible and then fly up, high into the sky and down again, tucking his wings in and plunging. A trail of frost followed him, making the moth-man look like a dark blue comet of ice as more of it started surrounding him.

He could hear Midnight and Cementoss yelling at them to stop as walls of grey concrete flew up between them to intercept-

Big Chill pulled back his arm, now a glistening spiked blade of frost, ready to break through Todoroki with everything he had-

"Thank you."

_**BOOOOOOM!**_

Blocks of cement crumbled to the ground as the shockwave spread outward, wreaking destruction wherever it went. Swampfire's Inferno Overdrive had been nothing in comparison to this arc of pure devastation- tearing the glass away from the windows of the stadium, ripping at the audience, even blasting Midnight away.

"Gaaaah!" yelled Mineta as he was almost blown away completely, with only Shouji's arms saving him.

"What happened?!" yelled Yaoyorozu, shielding her eyes.

"Who's the winner?" shrieked Kirishima, trying to peer at the stage.

Bakugou grimaced as the wave of heat flew past him, gritting his teeth.

All was silence. Then after what seemed like an age, but was really only about ten seconds, the smoke cleared well enough for all of them to view the stage.

And what they saw shocked them into silence, none of them able to say a thing.

It was Midnight who finally called it, raising her whip into the air.

"_B-Both_ Kirihara-kun and Todoroki-kun have landed out of bounds! The second match of the quarter-finals…is a _tie_!"

And the world _screamed_.

* * *

**I'll be honest, I'm not entirely satisfied with this chapter and it's been sitting completed on my desktop for close to two months. No amount of editing was going to make it better in my opinion, so here it is. I hope all of you like it anyhow.**

**Next up is Kirihara versus Kendou! Look forward to it!**

**Until next time.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Recovery Girl was not at all pleased.

"What is the meaning of this?" she scowled, appraising both of the unconscious boys in front of her. Kirihara's tracksuit was intact- which made sense considering he'd changed back only after the collision had happened, but his arms, chest and torso were rife with second-degree burns and his back was bruised from where he had hit the boundary wall as Big Chill. Todoroki was even worse off. His shirt was completely shredded and he had been stricken with hypothermia as a result of his body temperature dropping every time he used his right side. Not only that, but he was also wounded all over from where he had hit the iceberg behind him.

Itsuka sheepishly scratched her head, casting a glare at Ashido and Mineta as the two of them ducked behind her. Yaoyorozu delicately folded her hands, beginning to explain. "The cooled air from Todoroki's constant ice attacks was buffeted outwards by the immense amount of heat that suddenly prevailed from his use of his flames. This created a shockwave that threw both of them out of bounds."

"I'm well aware of that." Recovery Girl fixed her with a gimlet eye. "What I'm asking is why none of the teachers stopped it before it could go this far?"

"Um, Recovery Girl-sensei, I'm almost certain that Midnight-sensei and Cementoss-sensei were commanding the both of them to stop, and Cementoss-sensei had, in fact, tried to force them to stop by making walls between them…" Itsuka offered timidly. The old woman was _scary_ when she was mad.

She had rushed to the infirmary with Ashido, Yaoyorozu and (surprisingly) Mineta, Asui and Iida. Kirishima and Bakugou were due to fight, so they were absent. Not as if the latter would have visited anyway. Uraraka was also still in her bed, eyeing the two sleeping boys with concern.

Recovery Girl huffed. "At the very least, this one can still fight if he wakes up," she said, nodding at Kirihara. "However, I will need to confine Todoroki-kun to the infirmary for the rest of the day, so if Endeavour asks, please do tell him. And if Kirihara-kun doesn't wake up in time, they'll just have to promote Kendou-san up to the finals, won't they?"

"Or they could have a three-way fight between Kendou-chan and whoever wins in the other two matches, ribbit." offered Asui.

"That too," agreed Recovery Girl.

"But _man_, that match was scary," mumbled Mineta, rubbing his shoulders. "Wonder what Kirihara was yelling at Todoroki all that time?"

"_Geh_…" came a voice from one of the beds. Itsuka, as well as the others, looked over instantly to find Kirihara blinking himself into wakefulness, rubbing his eyes and looking around blearily. "What…what h-happened?"

"Well, look who decided to take a nap," teased Ashido, before sitting down next to him and ruffling his hair. Kirihara grumbled in part annoyance, part fondness, which Itsuka and Yaoyorozu exchanged grins at. "You tied with Todoroki, by the way. No one could see who hit the ground first, so the match was a draw."

"Though from the looks of things," interceded Recovery Girl with a small smile, offering the boy some gummies, "the officials will let you go on, as Todoroki is injured far worse than you are, so congratulations, Kirihara-kun."

Kirihara blinked before a small smile came on his face. "Good, so I could keep my promise," he mumbled before chewing on the candy and puckering his lips at the sour flavour.

Promise? Itsuka could feel her cheeks darken slightly. Had the promise they had made before the third round been on his mind the entire time? Oh hell. Not that she wasn't flattered or anything- in fact, she wanted to hug Kirihara as hard as she could with how happy she suddenly felt- but God _damn_ if it wasn't embarrassing as heck.

"Anyway," Kirihara stretched with a yawn before wincing slightly. Itsuka wrinkled her brow in concern. "You have a couple of burns on your arms, stomach and chest, Kirihara-kun. And some bruising on your back."

"I can heal those," Recovery Girl advised, "but be warned that if you are injured to this extent once more, another round of healing will be too much for you. I suggest you take it easy with your next matches."

"No can do, Recovery Girl-sensei," Kirihara grinned- in Itsuka's direction. "I made a promise, and I intend to keep it."

Itsuka grinned challengingly, right back at him. "Bring it on. I'm not going to lose to you."

She could see Yaoyorozu hide a smile behind her hand and Ashido leer suggestively in Kirihara's direction, but she ignored them. Kirihara didn't appear to even notice as Recovery Girl undid his shirt before laying a wet smack on his forehead, a brief green aura undulating around him before the burns filled with new muscle and flesh knitted together. They now looked like burns that were a week old, nowhere near as discoloured as before.

"Some of those will scar," warned Recovery Girl, pointing at two particularly big patches of mottled skin, one of those on his abdomen just under his left pectoral and the other on his left arm. Kirihara shrugged, doing up his shirt once more. "I don't mind. They'll look cool, at any rate."

"But surely you can pay for skin grafting surgery?" interjected Yaoyorozu, looking concerned.

Kirihara grew slightly still, and when he spoke next, he seemed as if he was trying to keep his voice light. "Uh, my guardian…he doesn't actually care enough to pay for my injuries any longer- not since I got medical insurance from U.A."

The room filled with an awkward silence. Yaoyorozu looked stricken. Itsuka silently reached out to grasp the black-haired beauty's shoulder, briefly squeezing in silent reassurance. Ashido clapped her hands loudly. "_A-ny-way_," she intoned, obviously trying to ease the tension. "Wonder how Kirishima's doing against Blasty McSplodes?"

"_Blasty McSplodes_-" Kirihara burst into laughter.

As a response, Uraraka turned on the TV hanging from the ceiling, just in time to see Bakugou shouting "_DIE!_" as loudly as he could while firing a Stun Grenade at the hapless redhead, sending him sailing out of the boundary.

"Kirishima-kun is out of bounds!" yelled Midnight. "Bakugou-kun is the winner!"

A storm of clapping pervaded their senses and Present Mic's commentary was no less loud over the television. **"A **_**rocking**_** performance from Katsuki Bakugou, 1-A resident explosive machine!"**

"Y-yeah," came a slightly accented voice over the announcer's box. _'Snipe-sensei,'_ thought Itsuka to herself with a slight giggle. "It sure was a great match…though kinda short…"

"It seems I must leave now!" commented Iida loudly, pushing up his glasses and walking to the door. "Congratulations, Kirihara-kun! I hope you recover enough energy to face Kendou-san in the semi-finals!"

"Y-yeah, thanks Iida," said Kirihara. "Good luck against Monoma!"

"Good luck," echoed Itsuka, scowling slightly at the thought of the blond boy.

* * *

_An unknown location in deep space_

"Naomasa Tsukauchi," said a man dressed in a white spacesuit, thumbing through a wad of files his assistant- which looked like a human having the scales, fins and eyes of an angler fish with the teeth and light-providing appendage to match- had handed him. Naomasa shifted uncomfortably in the seat they had given him- it was made completely out of wood and didn't have any sort of cushion or armrest to provide some comfort.

When he had activated the Plumber's badge, a portal had opened up instantly in his apartment, transporting him with the uniform and badge to a ship, where several aliens in the same white suits had picked him up and put him in a room- presumably to interrogate him. Then this man had come in, along with his fish-human-thing assistant, and had begun flipping through files.

Naomasa cast a furtive look at the alien, who noticed and felt the need to explain. To Naomasa's surprise, the thing spoke near-perfect Japanese in a high, cringing tone of voice. "Oh, uh…if-if you must know, I'm from the planet Pisciss, and I'm what is called a Pisciss Volann. I may look very scary, but I assure you, my presence will not put you to any harm."

"It's alright, Pyke," said the human promptly, also in Japanese, putting the files on the table separating Naomasa and him with an audible thump. "I'm sure our young friend here shall grow perfectly accustomed to your being here, but I believe he is somewhat scared by his new surroundings. Let me put him at ease."

Naomasa kept silent and unmoving. The man leaned forward. "I am Captain Max Tennyson of the Fourth Unit of the Plumbers. This is Pyke, soon-to-be Magister and current second-in-command of the Unit. Now, I would ask how this got into your possession-" he waved the badge Naomasa had activated- "and how you knew the codes to bring it to life. But that is no longer necessary. Your father was a Plumber, was he not, Tsukauchi-kun?"

Naomasa nodded tightly.

"Osamu Tsukauchi." Max closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "A fine, brave soldier whose passing is felt keenly even today. But to the matter at hand. Why did you activate the badge?"

Naomasa narrowed his eyes. "Would you rather I'd not?"

"_Au contraire_, I am delighted you have come forth." Max smiled slightly. "Even if you are not interested in joining, it is good that you have come forward. I had not known that Osamu had fathered a son. That an Earthling knows us is important information."

"And what about when you landed in broad daylight, in the middle of the most hotly anticipated event of the year in Japan?" countered Naomasa.

"What about it?" Max shrugged his shoulders. "We were caught on camera; what of it? The only Earthlings who have gotten wind of our _true_ identity by our actions are All Might, Endeavour, Midnight, Eraserhead, and the boy Kirihara. And of course, you. To everyone else, we are simply people working up in space who had detected an anomaly in the form of Kirihara's watch. Nothing about how we are an intergalactic organization committed to stopping warfare throughout the known universe."

That was fair enough. "And who said I'm not interested in joining?"

Max raised an eyebrow. "Are you?"

"Maybe." Naomasa clenched his fist. "I can help. Fill my father's shoes. Do _something_."

"Why would you join us?" Max seemed genuinely confused. "You have a wonderful job, good pay and a happy family. Joining us effectively makes you a ghost. You will be separated for years at a time from your family, made to work far harder, and be rewarded far less- not to mention, in a currency that is useless on Earth, so your family shall receive no monetary compensation. There is little gratification to becoming a Plumber, Tsukauchi-kun."

"Yes, well," Naomasa floundered. "Let me do something to help. My father's entire life was devoted to this cause. He neglected us because of it. And now he's dead, and mother and I've been picking up the slack ever since. But now you're back. You landed on Earth because that watch in the boy's possession is extremely powerful- powerful enough to cause a threat to galactic security. That's why you tried to take it from him, right? You think Earth's safety will be compromised because other interplanetary figures might take the watch for themselves to fulfil their own desires. And what makes you think I can stand by after all of that? I'm an Earthling, and my first duty has always been to protect the country I serve."

"Mr Tennyson," murmured Pyke in English. "Dare I say this man is intelligent if nothing else?"

"Yes," said Max with a sharp grin. "He is."

Switching back to Japanese, Max continued. "Alright. While we don't need new members at the moment, we need someone to keep an eye on the Omnitrix and report back to us. That is your assignment from now on. Shadow Kyosuke Kirihara discreetly, find out any development in that watch of his and tell me about them. Is that clear?"

"Yes." Naomasa nodded quietly.

"Good." Max sighed deeply. "Why Professor Paradox decided to give the watch to that boy, I will never know. Azmuth is silent, which is even more worrying. But there is nothing we can do about it now. You will tell me everything that boy has done with the watch and any new developments that arise with regards to it. That will be all."

"Welcome to the Fourth Unit of the Plumbers Organization, Tsukauchi-kun."

Naomasa gave a wan smile, even as a portal opened up behind him and transported him back to his room.

* * *

"_Recipro Burst_!"

"For goodness' sakes, do you have _any_ move other than to speed up to the point where you can't be seen?" complained Monoma as he was knocked out of bounds by a burst of quickness from 1-A's resident unofficial disciplinarian. Iida did not bother responding, which was probably for the best considering Monoma might have Copied Shinsou's Brainwashing once more. Instead, he bowed in his direction, and then at Midnight as she called his victory.

Monoma sighed. "Well, best eight isn't too bad," he mumbled, before suddenly heating up once more, sticking his nose in the startled Iida's face. "And don't think you 1-A lot have won just yet!" he screeched. "Just because all of the semi-finalists are from 1-A doesn't mean B is worse than you in any way! JUST WAIT, CLASS A-!"

Midnight sighed, tore her costume open at the shoulder, and sent both Iida and Monoma to sleep before nodding at several robot assistants to take the two of them away.

Kyosuke sighed along with his teacher. It seemed as if Monoma's animosity towards their class wasn't relenting one bit. It was annoying and he would rather it stop, but hopefully, he would get it under control after the Festival was over.

The rest of 1-B seemed nice, though. Hopefully, they'd get some joint training sessions together so that this inter-class rivalry of theirs could become friendlier and have less of the maliciousness Monoma seemed intent on injecting into it.

Kyosuke jolted slightly. What an unnatural thing to think, at least for him. Normally, he wouldn't have given a damn about what 1-B thought of them, so long as they didn't actively try and hinder 1-A's progress. Was this a sign that he was changing slightly? Deviating from the lone wolf he seemed to be making himself?

He certainly hoped so. He had paid dearly for his natural instinct to resolve things alone during the Sports Festival.

"Good match, Kirishima," said Kendou in front of him. They had left the infirmary about five minutes after Iida, in which time his match had concluded, and had run into the redhead on their way to the audience box. They had a break of about five minutes before he needed to face Kendou and consequently were in no hurry to make it to the waiting room.

Kirishima gave a half-grin, looking a little despondent. "Ah…I still have a long way to go."

"Maybe," Kyosuke allowed, putting a hand on Kirishima's shoulder, "but that's exactly why we're all at U.A, right? We'll all get better with time. All we need to do is keep trying our best."

"All we need to do is keep trying our best, huh?" repeated Kirishima, before laughing slightly. "Ha…sounds manly. Thanks, Kirihara."

Ashido and Kendou exchanged looks behind him, but Kyosuke paid it no mind. "You know, we should all go somewhere tomorrow. Like a movie, or something. It'll be fun."

Ashido raised an eyebrow, stepping forward to face him. "That's unusual of you to suggest, Kirihara."

"Looks like we finally rubbed off on him!" cheered Kirishima, looking more like his old self once more.

"Sure, we'll all love to go," smiled Kendou. Kyosuke's cheeks suddenly heated up and he looked to the ground abruptly. What had that been just now? Was he _embarrassed_? "But you're paying!" she continued teasingly.

"I am _not_ paying," retorted Kyosuke indignantly, but his friends only laughed at him.

"Looks like it's almost time, the two of you," mentioned Ashido. "Kendou, Kirihara, you guys better go to your waiting room."

"Of course," said Kendou, affixing Kyosuke with a look as she reached out to grip his hands and pull them forward. "You'd better not hold back, Kirihara-kun!" she said, looking determined.

Kyosuke gave a small smile, gripping back. "Sure. I'm not gonna lose."

"Neither will I!" shot back the orange-haired girl as she departed.

He laughed slightly as he headed after her, before departing to the entry point from Waiting Room 1. Absently tracing the new scar on his arm, just above his bicep, he began to craft a plan. Alright, so close combat was a no-no, but she might force him to it by rushing him as she had her other opponents. Maybe if he used Rath? Now, wouldn't _that_ be a sight to see, he thought with a snort. But the more he considered the idea, the more he began to like it. Rath wasn't as strong as Four Arms or Humungosaur, but he was far faster and had better reflexes. If Kendou tried to force close combat, Rath was his best option.

He could then push her to the boundary line, transform into Eatle, and end it right then and there.

A sudden jolt ran up his spine, making him shiver. God, why was he so _excited_? He should really get a grip.

Emerging onto the stage, Kendou sent a challenging smile at him, before dropping into her usual fighting stance. Kyosuke assumed one himself, hand poised to activate the Omnitrix as always. His eyes did not leave hers even as Midnight raised her whip.

"**Starting us off in the semi-finals, we have an unyielding warrior unbeaten in close combat, ITSUKA KENDOU! And against her, we have the shapeshifting menace, KYOSUKE KIRIHARA! I don't think I need to go any further than that, folks! From here on out it'll be their SKILLS doing the talking!"** screamed Present Mic, sounding like he was having a field day.

"BEGIN!"

All at once, Kendou was rushing towards him, her hands bulging outwards until they were about half her size. However, Kyosuke was ready, hand pressing down on the watch face-

"_**Rath!"**_ The newly-transformed alien gave a war cry as he leapt to the side, avoiding Kendou's palms with ease. "Lemme tell ya somethin', Itsuka-Kendou-with-the-Big-Fists! Rath may be strangely excited about his match with ya, but that ain't gonna stop him from wiping the ground with yer _FACE_!" He lunged forward, meeting Kendou's fist with a punch of his own.

"**We've got some action!"** yelled Present Mic over his microphone. **"Kirihara's most boisterous alien is trading punches with 1-A's resident martial artist like it's nothing! What do you make of this, Snipe?!"**

"Er, well…" Snipe sighed. "Kendou's doin' pretty well fer herself, showing more of her talents against an opponent she can't defeat as quickly as she has her other ones. It's also good ta see that Kirihara's moves ain't limited to just exploitin' the enemy's weaknesses and tirin' them out. Fightin' head-on like this ain't somethin' he's done so far, and the fact that he's doin' it against a close combat specialist is gonna turn heads fer sure."

"**A GOOD POINT!"**

Rath snarled, ducking a punch from Kendou and swiftly countering with one of his own, which she caught with one enlarged fist before turning and flinging him over her. Rath landed on his feet and turned just in time to block a punch from her giant fist, which nevertheless pushed him back some.

Growling in frustration, he fought back, careful not to extend his claws as he aimed another swipe at Kendou's head, which she blocked and countered with a kick. He absorbed the impact, using her resultant imbalance to punch at Kendou once more. This time, it connected and she was flung back with a light cry, landing on her feet.

Rath sprinted forward once more, but this time, Kendou avoided his punch and slammed her fist into his torso, sending him back. She came after him, unwilling to let him rest, throwing out another devastating punch that almost took out one of his teeth and flung him to the ground.

He was close to the boundary line; it was only a few metres behind him. Ideally, he would now transform into Eatle, get Kendou behind him somehow and push her out of bounds.

It was the best plan he had. He had no chance of beating her like this, even if he was far faster and stronger. If this kept up, he would lose. Transforming would end the match quickly and conserve his Omnitrix battery.

So why, asked Rath to himself as he got back up in time to block Kendou's fist, had he not transformed already? The rational part of Rath's brain- the part that was mostly the leftovers of Kirihara's personality- was screaming at him for not having switched yet. But Rath didn't want to. He was having fun. Why did he need to transform now of all times, when he was finally experiencing the joy of a good fight?

The joy that fuelled Rath to exceed his limits, and the joy that Kirihara himself subconsciously craved?

Now was the time to surpass his limits, because he would _not_ be transforming into Eatle.

"Aha…hahaha!" laughed Rath, grappling with his friend. "You know…I'm having a lot of fun."

Kendou's grip slackened in surprise. "Did you just refer to yourself in the first person-?"

With a loud roar, Rath pushed Kendou back and readied himself, dropping to all fours and letting his animal instincts take over. "SIRIUS BUTT-KICKING!" he roared, leaping forward and over Kendou, striking out with his legs once, then twice. With a cry, she fell towards the boundary, stopping short of actually going out by a metre or so and turning, but Rath was on her in a flash, clotheslining her with all of his strength-

"ANTARIAN ARM-BAR!"

Amazingly, Kendou held, gritting her teeth against his power before swinging back. As quick as thought, Rath ducked on all fours, cartwheeling behind her and encircling her waist-

"POLARIS PILEDRIVER!"

He threw her backwards in his signature German suplex, and while she didn't land on her head, she did land on her hands, the ground underneath cratering into giant hand-print patterns. Rath let go and moved underneath her return kick as she got back on her feet, ready to continue the fight with all she had-

"_Stop!_" yelled Midnight. "Kendou-san is out of bounds! Kirihara-kun is the winner!"

"Wh-what?" asked the orange-haired girl as Rath looked around, similarly confused. As an answer, Midnight pointed to the screen featuring a replay of the scene, where Kendou had landed on her enlarged palms after the piledriver- _outside_ of the boundary.

It was an unmistakable victory in Rath's favour.

"Ah…" Kendou gave a laugh, slowly rubbing her palms as they went back to normal. Rath's adrenaline drained away, leaving him strangely tired as he returned to his human form. Furthermore, he was a little annoyed that the fight had ended so abruptly. "I lost…and in my speciality too…"

"Don't be ridiculous," panted Kyosuke, wiping his forehead. "You were excellent. I genuinely thought I was going to lose that time you drove me back to the boundary." He offered his hand, which Kendou considered before clasping it with a loud thud, smiling at him slightly, though he could glimpse the tell-tale frustration and disappointment lingering in her eyes. "I see Kirihara-kun is as amazing as ever."

"_Rath_ is as amazing as ever," corrected Kyosuke. "Had I been in human form you would have kicked my ass."

She frowned slightly at that, which hadn't been the reaction he'd been going for, but he let it go when Midnight shepherded them off the stage to raucous applause from the audience.

When they entered the bleachers, Ashido instantly went for Kendou, wrapping her arms around the orange-haired girl in a tight hug. Kendou stilled at that, then hesitantly gripped back, then tighter, creases forming in Ashido's shirt. Kyosuke watched silently, before turning away when the orange-haired girl started shaking, a suspicious damp patch growing on Ashido's shoulder.

"Sh-sh-sh," murmured the pink-skinned girl soothingly. "You were brilliant, completely brilliant. You did so well, girl, I'm so proud of you…"

Kyosuke breathed in deeply. He didn't regret the path he had taken in the match against his friend; choosing to stick to close combat instead of switching to long-range. But close combat was Kendou's bread and butter. It was her only route to becoming a hero because her Quirk made it difficult to rely on anything else. And he'd just beaten her using that very route. Almost as if he'd spit on the efforts that had helped her make it here.

Granted, it was a technicality. Rath had won by ring-out, not by beating her down or knocking her out. In fact, he was sure that had the match gone on for longer, and had there been no boundary to the stage…he would have lost.

But at the end, which one of them was progressing to the finals?

He clenched his fists, seeds of doubt beginning to germinate within him. He'd won all right, but had he really taken the _right_ path to victory? His friend was crying and there was nothing he could do about it, because why would she accept meaningless platitudes from someone who'd beat her?

It wasn't as if he was better than her by any means, or anyone else in the class. He only had a watch on his wrist that someone else had given him, while the rest of them had Quirks that they'd spent years honing and developing. The more he thought about it, the more his mind took a turn for the worse. Why had he won? Because he had a watch. How pathetic was that? Did he even _deserve_ a victory?

"Oi. Kirihara. _Kirihara_." Kirishima was waving his hand in front of his face, trying to get his attention. Kyosuke jerked back in surprise, trying not to let his dark thoughts show on his face. Kirishima grinned at him, slightly more knowingly than he felt comfortable with. "Feeling a little winner's guilt there, buddy?"

Winner's guilt? Was that a thing? Kyosuke had heard of survivor's guilt, where those who lived through a war felt bad for having the privilege of life when so many of their comrades had died. Was winner's guilt like that- feeling bad for winning when so many other talented people had lost?

He was the only one of the four of them still left competing, and the more he thought about it the more he hated the fact. The rest of them had been training themselves and their Quirks for years, while he'd had the Omnitrix for about…eleven months. And he was _still_ performing better than them. Guilt choked him like a brand, slowly overcoming him.

Would he have even passed the U.A entrance exam had he not gotten the Omnitrix, let alone break All Might's record?

"A little," admitted Kyosuke, not meeting Kirishima's eyes even as the redhead squeezed his shoulder reassuringly before leaving to offer comfort to Kendou. The weight of all he had achieved seemed to press down upon him- the Quirk Assessment test, the Battle Training, the U.S.J, the Obstacle Race, and even this third round- leaving him breathless, almost forcing him to his knees. He didn't deserve _any_ of those wins.

_Look towards your purpose_, All Might had advised him.

But without the Omnitrix, would he have even had the power to achieve his goals?

Wrapping his tracksuit more tightly around himself, fingers passing over the scar tissue still remaining on his chest and stomach, Kyosuke quietly picked a seat and sat down, shivering slightly. He could see a few of his classmates look at him in concern, but he ignored them.

Midnight was not calling the next combatants out on the stage yet; instead, she was holding a hand over to her earpiece, speaking into it. This perked Kyosuke's interest slightly, and he leaned over to see more clearly. Neither Bakugou nor Iida were coming out on the stage yet. What was the matter?

Soon, the 18+ Only Hero raised her cat-o-nine tails. "It seems that a new development has taken place!" she announced loudly. "Contestant Iida-kun has dropped out of the match due to family reasons! Therefore, he loses by default, and the match goes to Bakugou-kun!"

A storm of murmuring immediately pervaded the audience. Kyosuke's jaw dropped in shock. Iida had had to leave due to family matters? Oh boy…that was going to piss Bakugou off. The boy _hated_ having victories being handed out to him like this.

While he couldn't see the boy's face, he could well imagine it; twisted up with fury, explosions crackling at his palms. He hadn't spent three years in middle school with Bakugou for nothing. And now, he would be facing him on the biggest stage U.A had to offer, with the first place in the Sports Festival on the line.

Present Mic announced a ten-minute break for the two finalists so that they could rest up and give 'a stunning match to end all matches, as was fitting for a third-round final'. Kyosuke gave a slight, bitter laugh at that- with how his mental game was faring, he would be lucky to even last a minute against the explosive youth.

Monoma's face leered at him in his imagination, distorted and monstrous. _"Honestly, I don't understand why Nezu-kouchou's allowing you to keep that watch-" _

_-_sneering, mocking, deriding-

"_Had I been in his place, I would have taken it off and given it to someone-" _

_-_deep breath, why were his lungs constricting, crushing_-_

"_-who could do some actual good-" _

_-_someone was tapping his shoulder- breaths quick and fire trailing down his face_\- _

"_with it."- _

_-_Pain, so much pain- tongue dry as beach sand-

"_**Unlike you."**_

Unlike him. Unlike the lone wolf who had let a stroke of luck go to his head eleven months ago and filled his mind with delusions of grandeur.

"-hara-kun! Kirihara-kun!" Eyes that were teal rivers of desperation and concern, red-rimmed- ah, but wasn't he to blame for that? Kendou, cool fingers clasped around his face.

"_Kyosuke!_"

The sound of his first name- how long it had been since someone had called him that- brought him back to reality with an abrupt bang. Kyosuke looked around shakily, only realizing then that a tear was pouring down his cheek. He quickly wiped it away, taking several deep breaths. Kendou looked near tears herself and he was unable to look directly at her for it.

Once again, he was the reason for her pain. For the pain of the friends that he'd made that day after the entrance exam. The people who were the closest thing to family he had, as pathetic as that sounded.

"Kirihara-kun." Kendou hadn't let go of his face. Kyosuke languidly rubbed his eyes, trying to put on a show for those watching. He wasn't ready to deal with everything he was feeling just yet. Not when everyone he cared about was watching.

"I'm fine." He gently removed Kendou's hands from his face. "And I'm sorry."

Kendou looked baffled. "Sorry for what?"

"Dude, you were breathing really quickly and your pupils were super dilated," interjected Kirishima. "If you don't feel well enough to fight Bakugou, say so. 'Cause I'm pret-ty sure that Midnight's gonna call the two of you on the stage right about now."

On cue, their teacher raised her cat-o-nine tails, a clear signal for Bakugou and Kyosuke to come down onto the stage.

"Kirihara, what's the matter?" pleaded Ashido. "Let us _help_ you."

"Nothing's the matter," dismissed Kyosuke, standing up carefully.

Kendou glared at him, scorching and hurt. "Don't lie to us," she snarled, grabbing his collar with both of her hands. "Something's going on, isn't there? Something you've refused to confide in us about that's been bothering you since before the Sports Festival. Maybe you yourself didn't know it before because you have zero self-awareness, but now you do. Tell us so that we can help you. You don't _have_ to push us away."

Kyosuke almost broke then; almost surrendered to the tumult of emotion swelling in his soul, but the recent flowering of the bonds he had forged was nothing against the years of wintry solitude he had borne. In time- a few hours, probably- he would break, and this tidal wave of rawness would overwhelm him. But not now. Not when the biggest obstacle between him and the gold medal was standing right in front of him.

Not that he deserved it in the first place.

Gently brushing off his friends' worry, he ascended to the hallway leading to the stage, beginning to make a plan, forcing his exhausted brain to work for the last time today. Temporarily, he let the cold rationality of his brain supersede his errant emotions.

Bakugou was easily the worst opponent he would have to face out of every member of the Hero Course. An absolute monster in both close and ranged combat, with skill, strength and the tenacity of a wildfire. As none of Kyosuke's aliens had the power to control water, he had no direct counter for his Quirk, which meant his only option was to pick aliens that had a varied skillset and could match Bakugou whichever direction he chose to go- meaning Swampfire, Chromastone, Big Chill and perhaps Rath.

But after everything he'd just come to realize, did he even _want_ to defeat Bakugou any longer? Kyosuke had gotten lucky with Gyakusetsu-sensei giving him the Omnitrix. He could have just as easily given it to anybody in their class. Bakugou had trained his Quirk for so long, picking up new moves and strengths. It was _his_ and his alone. Whereas, the Omnitrix had been made by an alien who was the smartest being in the Milky Way and had been given to him by a mad professor with an understanding of the space-time continuum exceeding every Earthly limitation. It wasn't _Kyosuke's_ by any means.

Without the watch, what was he? Without the watch, would he be standing at the top of the first-years like he was now?

Stepping up on the stage, Kyosuke felt vulnerable, weak, tired; but his aim, his purpose, kept fuelling him to go on, weathering his emotions and weaknesses and unworthiness.

Bakugou peered at him with narrow eyes. "Shithead," he growled. "Kirihara."

"Present," Kyosuke said wryly.

"You'd better not hold back, you fuckin' asshole," snarled Bakugou. "I'm not having a shitshow like the Obstacle Race, where you didn't use Fasttrack. You'll come at me with everything you have and I won't accept anything else."

Hearing those words, the last of Kyosuke's spirits left him. He couldn't deal with this. Not now, after the massive revelation he'd just endured.

"Right." His voice was flat and toneless as he raised his watch limply, ready to activate it.

Midnight raised her cat-o-nine tails.

"BEGIN!"

* * *

Eijirou Kirishima was not a happy camper, which was a first during all of his time in U.A. But then who could blame him? He had lost in the Sports Festival, as had two of his best friends. The one still remaining had looked like death warmed over before going to fight the final match, not to mention he'd shut them out when they'd tried to talk to him about it.

And here he'd thought Kirihara'd been improving.

Watching him stand on the stage, looking tired and lost, Eijirou felt a strange mixture of disappointment, worry and anger course through him. Disappointment that Kirihara wasn't confiding in them, worry for his mental health, and anger that all the trust he'd thought Kirihara had had for them was apparently being invalidated.

"What's the matter, Kirihara?" he mumbled under his breath, unconsciously echoing Ashido and Kendou's words. "Let us help you. You're not alone anymore."

"BEGIN!"

Instantly, Bakugou was off, streaking towards Kirihara in a trail of smoke and fire, but in a green flash, his friend was no longer in human form. Tall and thin, with a single white eye amidst a body of pink and purple crystal, Chromastone was as intimidating as ever.

Wait a minute. Something was off here.

Eijirou frowned. Kirihara- er, _Chromastone_\- seemed to be doing well, countering Bakugou's explosions with blasts of rainbow-coloured light and punching out at him when he came close. So why did something feel…not right?

Kendou's expression was dark and Ashido's showed naked concern. Then, Eijirou realized-

"He didn't say his name."

Kendou looked at him in slight confusion. "What?"

Eijirou was gaping outward at the stage, shock coursing through him. "When he transforms, he _always_ yells out the name of the alien he's becoming. I didn't hear him yell 'Chromastone!' anytime when he did!"

Because it was such a _Kirihara_ thing to do- yell out the name of the alien he was transforming into. Like a Power Ranger posing when they put on their suit, or All Might naming his special moves after places in North America. To not hear it this time was more than a little jarring.

What had affected him so badly that he wasn't saying the name?

"Surely it's not that big of a deal?" offered Kaminari uneasily. "He seems okay… giving Baku-bro a run for his money and all."

Sero rubbed his chin. "Bakugou's probably gonna try to force a close-combat match so that Chromastone can't use his long-range lasers or hit the Omnitrix to switch out in time. Look at him go- he isn't even interested in pushing Chromastone out of bounds. He's just wearing him down."

"He's going to have to keep doing that for a long time then," spoke up Kendou, voice flat. "Chromastone is one of Kirihara-kun's most durable and versatile aliens. He's probably not even feeling the heat from those blasts. Although I do admit he should be doing a lot better than he is now."

"Yes, it does seem that Kirihara-san is not performing up to scratch at all," concurred Yaoyorozu with a slight frown. "He is moving much slower, and with less finesse. He was performing far better when fighting Kendou-san, Todoroki-san and Uraraka-san."

"Not to mention it would have made sense to just blast Bakugou away with his lasers instead of playing defensively," mumbled Jirou, frowning, "and then switching into, say, Swampfire or Big Chill, both of whom can trap him and force him out of bounds or make him submit."

Bakugou gave a yell of rage. "STUN GRENADE!"

A bright flash of heat burst out from his palms, blowing Chromastone almost out of bounds and sending him tumbling to the ground. He was too slow to get up, and after he had managed to get on his knees, the blond was already grabbing at his arm to throw him out of the stage. "_Idiot!_" he jeered, lifting Chromastone up and punching him with a flame-infused fist. "I said to come at me with your full power! If you can't do that, I'm gonna _MAKE_ you!"

Chromastone gritted his teeth, hands shining with light, but Bakugou was having none of it. With another punch- this time to the head- he smashed Chromastone's face aside. The alien's mouth contorted in pain, the light on his hands puttering out.

"What is he _doing_?" murmured Ashido half-angrily, half-worriedly.

"Honestly, I thought Kirihara was better than this," said Jirou, sounding disappointed.

"Yes, it does seem that he has reached the end of his yoke," agreed Yaoyorozu.

It infuriated Eijirou so much, just watching his best friend be pummelled like that- he couldn't just sit and watch this anymore!

"KIRIHARA!" he screamed, cupping his hands and emptying his lungs. "KIRIHARA!"

Both Bakugou and Chromastone turned to watch him in shock. Chromastone's single eye widened, his mouth opening slightly.

"STOP HOLDING BACK!"

And-

"IT'S OKAY TO USE THE OMNITRIX!"

And-

"IT'S _YOUR_ POWER!"

* * *

"You heard the bastard, Kirihara," growled Bakugou, turning back to him. "Get your crap together and fight me for real, or I'm gonna throw you out the ring."

Chromastone barely heard him. While his crystalline body lacked tear ducts and was too rigid to form any complex facial expressions, his entire frame was shaking, almost as if he was sobbing. His teeth were gritted, eye crinkled. For Kirishima to say that…

Was it really his? Was he worthy of using the Omnitrix?

Bakugou snarled. "I said," an explosion rocked against his chest, sending him flying toward the grass out of the stage, "_fight me for real_!"

Was he worthy? Did he really deserve this power?

Was it okay if he used it for his own means?

Did it matter?

He responded to his friend's words the only way he knew how.

"_**Big Chill!"**_

Bakugou watched the moth-man flying into the air with a wide, dangerous smile. Smoke streamed from his reddened, pitted palms. "Fucking finally!"

"Sorry to keep you waiting," hissed Big Chill, before landing behind the blond and slamming a fist to the ground. A cavern of ice flew from the point of impact, rising at Bakugou- but the blond was too good to be caught off like that. With another Stun Grenade, he had blown past the ice and was rushing at Big Chill, only to yell in surprise as the moth-man's flesh disappeared into a dark blue outline untouched by the flames.

Big Chill materialized once more and breathed out, a stream of freezing wind moving outward, but Bakugo avoided it and leapt up, planting his foot in Big Chill's chest. The alien countered with an ice-covered punch, seemingly cracking one of the blond's teeth and splitting his lip with the force of the blow.

Big Chill didn't let up, striking, again and again, using fists, feet and even wings. Bakugou was battered around mercilessly, acquiring more and more bruises. Explosions crackled at his fingers, but the alien only let out another deep breath, freezing one of Bakugou's hands in a block of ice.

"The fuck?!" yelled the blond, trying to swing out with his other hand, but Big Chill only caught it before encasing the discoloured appendage in another block of ice. "For _fuck's_ sake!" yelled Bakugou, trying to kick out this time, only for the moth-man to move back and avoid the blow entirely.

"I'm doing you a favour, Bakugou," hissed the alien, panting heavily. "You've been using Explosion continuously throughout the day. You've nearly hit your limit, haven't you?" He took a deep breath, feeling his own stamina dwindle. "Ha…hypocrisy aside, it might be best if you threw this match."

Bakugou looked up to give a manic grin, lifting his ice-encased hands up at him. "You _fuckhead_. Since when have I ever…hit…my limit?"

Big Chill's eyes widened. "No way-!"

"_**RRRRRAAAAAAAGH!"**_ screamed Bakugou, flames erupting from his hands like lava and swirling in a devastating concerto of smoke and heat, shattering the ice around his hands, tearing up the stage and blowing Big Chill away, despite his frantic attempts to switch into a form that could better handle the heat. The shockwaves rippled throughout the stadium, flinging rubble everywhere and even taking Bakugou himself off his feet-

_**BOOOOOOM!**_

Smoke billowed throughout the stadium. No one was able to see anything for several moments. Then, after about a minute or so, when the smoke had lifted, most of the audience was able to make out what had happened on the stage-

And what they saw shocked them to the core.

The stage was almost completely destroyed. Only some of the section that had been behind Bakugou had been spared, and left mostly intact except for parts of the periphery, which had deep cracks running through them. Kyosuke was in human form, the Omnitrix glowing red, and completely unconscious- no one could tell whether he was outside the boundary or had remained in it.

Similarly, Bakugou was knocked out, his hands completely lacerated and bleeding severely. However, unlike Kyosuke, it could immediately be ascertained that he was inside the boundary still.

Had Kyosuke tied with him? Or had the Omnitrix wielder finally lost?

Midnight walked over to Kyosuke's unmoving form, kneeling down beside him and examining the ground on which he was lying. Then, she raised her cat-o-nine tails and called out-

"Kirihara-kun… is out of bounds! The winner of this match, and the Sports Festival, is Bakugou-kun!"

And the audience erupted in thunderous applause.

* * *

Far, far away from the Sports Festival stadium, in a darkened bar located in the Kamino ward, a pale-skinned man was peering at the TV screen silently yet intently. No one could discern his expression due to the dismembered hand covering his face, but his wide red eyes and even redder skin on his neck from where he had scratched at it repeatedly were plain to see.

Tomura Shigaraki was not a leader. Vulkanus knew it and had known it from the time Sensei had placed him in servitude to the pale man. He was little more than a child, throwing tantrums and not hesitating to disintegrate valuable equipment when he was undergoing one of his fits of rage. Such undisciplined, immature, bratty behaviour; honestly, what Kurogiri and Sensei saw in the man, Vulkanus wasn't sure. It was why he hadn't entered the fray during the U.S.J attack himself. He had instead let his drones run free at the best possible time. He didn't respect Shigaraki just yet. And the equipment he had destroyed would require much time and money to replace. Did he think that MRI and CT machines came for free?

Yet sometimes, such as now, he could see the furious desire consuming the man that drove him to bring down hero society however he could. The way his pupils dilated, mouth split into a sick, savage grin and nails drew blood from his neck; oh yes, his fury and need to kill and murder and destroy was infantile but Vulkanus could see the potential such powerful emotions held. And besides, he wasn't fool enough to desert Sensei. He knew which side his bread was buttered, and it was wherever Sensei held the knife.

"So, Kirihara lost." Vulkanus looked up to see Shigaraki dispassionately reach for the TV remote and peered at the screen in curiosity. He noticed two boys lying comatose on a destroyed stadium, heavy chunks of which were strewn about in the grass. Perhaps the work of an explosive, which would fit considering what they had seen of the blond's Quirk in the U.S.J. Kirihara was amidst that destruction, and while it took him a moment, it was soon visible to Vulkanus that the boy was outside the boundary, whereas the blond was still within it. An unexpected development, yet not altogether unsatisfactory.

Shigaraki turned the screen off and leaned back in his couch, wincing visibly. It had only been a few weeks since his ribs had been broken and they still needed much healing. At least the bone shards had been removed before the pale man had destroyed his machinery. Now all that any of them could do was wait for Shigaraki to heal. They didn't have a Recovery Girl on standby after all.

"Nothing has changed." Shigaraki was grinning underneath his mask. "Once our dear little spy brings back the information we need, we will proceed as planned. Although maybe…hm…that watch of Kirihara's looks very interesting, doesn't it? What say you, Vulkanus?"

He nodded, because yes, the device on Kirihara's wrist intrigued him greatly. To give him such power, all at the press of a finger…what sort of technology could do that? He had wanted to get his hands on it ever since he had heard of the device.

"Bet you dream of it every night, don't you, big lug?" taunted the pale man.

Vulkanus resisted the sudden urge to pull out his gun and put a bullet through Shigaraki's skull. Sensei had warned him against letting his temper get the best of him when the brat was around. Besides, the profit he could gain from exporting that technology was massive. By thinking of that, he was capable of ignoring Shigaraki's mockery.

His leader didn't take kindly to being ignored. "Hey, you _oaf_. I was talking to you."

"What is your point, Shigaraki?" Vulkanus asked, once more ignoring the insult.

"Well, if we could edit the plan slightly by capturing _both_ of them…" Shigaraki trailed off, once more adopting a sly and sinister attitude. "How does that sound? You get a pretty little black market dealing, and I get a fun new aspiring hero to corrupt."

"That depends on whether we can persuade the Hero Killer to form an alliance with us," Vulkanus pointed out. "Though you know this already, we need him and several others of his calibre to add to the League's strength. Otherwise, taking U.A on is a suicide mission."

Shigaraki's response was interrupted by Kurogiri's reappearance. Vulkanus' mood lightened upon seeing his friend. Besides Sensei, Kurogiri was the only other person Vulkanus trusted.

"Well?" snapped Shigaraki.

"I have located the Hero Killer, and proposed an alliance." Kurogiri's voice was as neutral as ever. "He will meet with us tomorrow, at this time, so that he may give you his decision."

Shigaraki snarled, scratching at his neck once more while the other hand rubbed the chest binder under his shirt that kept his broken ribs in place. "Damn it…we need another carry for the League, since All Might-" he hissed the name as if it was something vile- "defeated our Nomu. We won't have any more of them ready to take U.A on in time. That fucking Doctor…even with Vulkanus' resources, can't he work any faster than this?!"

"Doctor Animo is trying his best, Tomura Shigaraki," soothed Kurogiri. "He promises that in a few more weeks, he shall have three more Low-End Nomu ready."

"He had better," sneered the pale man. "Because when the time comes, we'll destroy society, no matter what."

"So that we can tear down All Might, and everyone who stands in our way when we rebuild the world in our name, we need more powerhouses in our party! We're not enough as is! But when the time comes, _when the time comes_…"

There, thought Vulkanus in satisfaction, was the tenacity that convinced him to stand by Shigaraki yet.

"We'll kill All Might, and tear down this society of heroes!"

* * *

**I will admit, this was rather difficult to write. Nor am I really sure of whether this is even good or not. Portraying Kirihara's insecurities in a realistic manner has been one of the most difficult things I've had to do as a writer. That being said, the Sports Festival has all but ended; look forward to the internships!**

**Naomasa will have a pretty minor role from here on out, but it will get bigger later on. Way later on.**

**Kirishima is the best bro.**

**And you've probably noticed how I'm ship-teasing Kendou and Kirihara. I've no idea whether this story is going to turn into a romance or not, but I have no plans to have it run in that direction as of yet. Ship-teasing is fun, though, and I might keep doing it.**

**If any of you are bothered by an OC being ship-teased with a canonical character, please get over it or stop reading _It's Hero Time!_, because it is not stopping. You have been warned.**

**Thank you, everyone who has favourited, followed or reviewed thus far. You guys never fail to make my day when you do it and are one of the two reasons I continue to write this work. (The other reason is that it's fun).**

**See you all next time!**


	13. OMAKE: Alien Analysis

_**OMAKE**_

**Alien Analysis for the Future**

**By Kyosuke Kirihara**

**Edition #1- Swampfire**

List of Powers:

Produces a smelly gas that was initially thought to be methane.  
(EDIT: has been confirmed to be methane by experiments involving some very unlucky canaries and plastic bottles.)

Can ignite the gas to make fire. Apparently only needs some concentration to ignite the gas, and a bit more to shape it however is required.  
(NOTE: Please TURN YOUR BACK TO THE BOOK before testing this phenomenon in the future.)

Enhanced strength, speed and stamina, especially in the sunlight.  
(EDIT: this may be related to the fact that Swampfire is capable of photosynthesis.)  
(EDIT: the above has been confirmed by Higari Maijima and Mei Hatsume. Swampfire is therefore probably the best alien for an endurance run during the daytime.)

Regeneration of lost limbs is also possible. (NOTE: Please do not test at home lest you want what looks like a horror movie scene in your room that smells like a swamp to boot. The limbs do _not_ disintegrate. They do, however, make for surprisingly good fertilizer.)

Generating seeds to make vines is possible. Controlling these vines is also possible. Transforming arms into vines is also possible.  
(EDIT: does that make Swampfire the mother of all plants?)  
(Possible other names: Motherplant? Titantree? Nah, Swampfire works best.)  
(Test to see if Swampfire is capable of making flowers or fruit. Up until now, he has shown no sign of being able to do so but if Big Chill can lay eggs, it wouldn't surprise me if Swampfire can make flowers.)  
(EDIT: he can totally make flowers. Very pretty flowers. Perhaps Kendou or Ashido would like some reddish-gold blooms to brighten up their day...?)

Weaknesses:

Regeneration is very costly when it comes to stamina and it simply cannot be done if Swampfire is exhausted.  
(The above has been confirmed by experiments involving Hatsume's power sword, Upgrade cells and bad decisions.)

Ice is a _big_ no-no. The cold will push Swampfire into a senescent phase where he is incapable of doing anything except breathing and photosynthesizing just enough to keep him alive.  
(_Makes sense, considering that he is the mother of all plants.)_  
(Shut up, Hatsume.)

Do not use Swampfire for stealth missions. He stinks.  
(_He stinks very, very badly.)_  
(Good LORD, Hatsume, I'm going to stop bringing my notebooks to school if you're gonna keep writing in them.)  
(_What? He does.)_  
(True, but still.)

Possible Special Moves

Inferno Overdrive: Generating a whirlwind of methane and igniting as it unravels.  
(EDIT: DON'T AIM IT AT THE GROUND, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE PRACTISING ON BEACH SAND. Unless you want hot sand scattering everywhere and getting in your eyes.)  
(Practice goes far more easily when standing out in the sea during calm winds. Again, do not aim downward.)  
(Successful tornado of flames generated on about the eighth attempt.)  
(Again, was used against Uraraka's meteor shower to good effect.)  
(Will be unsuccessful on windy days.)

Fire Lashes: Transforming arms into vines, generating methane from the stem and igniting it.  
(First attempt was a disaster, as it is hard to control.)  
(Possible modifications might include generating gas in a tight whirlwind around the vine.)  
(Nah, doesn't work either.)  
(Do Not Attempt.)

**Edition #2- Big Chill**

List of Powers

Capable of producing and controlling ice from his extremities and using his breath to freeze his targets.  
(EDIT: Please test this phenomenon OUTSIDE the house next time. Trying to remove ice is extremely difficult, especially after the Omnitrix times out.)  
(EDIT: If necessary, Eatle can simply eat the ice to fuel his lasers. Melting the ice as Swampfire is a bad idea as the meltwater is arguably even more irritating. Hm, possible combinations with Eatle where Big Chill produces ice, after which Eatle eats it and lets it rip?)  
(EDIT: the above idea has proven successful, though a lot of ice is necessary to make a significant impact. Who knew Big Chill's ice tasted so nice?)

Flight. Pretty self-explanatory considering Big Chill has wings. One of the most useful abilities the watch provides.  
(NOTE: The wings are not as delicate as they look, as Hatsume's Upgraded power suit can attest.)

Intangibility.  
(Difficult to move while intangible and it requires great focus to maintain. Senses are also dulled. However, it gets easier with practice. Again, a highly useful ability.)

Slightly enhanced strength and speed. Stamina remains about the same.

Can breathe underwater  
(This was discovered completely on accident when Big Chill fell off one of his ice constructs into the sea. It feels kind of weird but also enjoyable.)  
(Might also explain why intangibility-induced lack of oxygen does not impact him negatively.)

(NOTE: Since when the fuck could Big Chill lay eggs? Several uncomfortable questions about his sexuality have been raised and. Well. Does that mean Big Chill is both male and female? Unless it's the males of Big Chill's species that give birth?)  
(This is something that I will never reveal to anyone in 1-A. Bad enough that Hatsume knows already.)  
(_Well fuck you too_.)

Weaknesses:

Flying takes practise to master properly.  
(_Yeah, we all remember the time you tried lifting me up when I was in the power suit. LOL.)_  
(Hatsume, I haven't furthered Big Chill's capacity for aerial combat yet!)  
(**Then maybe you should.**)  
(I'll get _right_ onto that, Power Loader-sensei.)  
(**Don't you sass me, kid.**)

Big Chill does NOT handle electricity well and it's the only thing that can hurt him when he's intangible.  
(The above has been confirmed by experiments involving Hatsume's stun batons and bad decisions.)  
(_LOL_)

.

.

.

.

.

(_Wait, that's it? Electricity is his only real weakness?)_  
(I mean, against a sufficiently strong opponent, he'll crumble. Intangibility, as I said, requires focus and adjustment to dulled senses, so anyone with brute strength can also probably overwhelm Big Chill.)  
(_Maybe we should test that out with my newest baby, the Power Suit Mark IV!)_  
(HOW ARE YOU ALREADY UP TO THE FOURTH ONE?!)

Possible Special Moves

Land of Ice: Big Chill flies up before landing superhero-style and simultaneously generating a three-hundred-sixty-degree ice platform around himself covered in massive spikes.  
(The easiest special move so far. Spikes can be removed to make a simple giant ice platform/wall. Of course, doing it for too long will cause exhaustion and it needs to be formed more quickly than Big Chill can do right now. Perhaps it would be best to ask Todoroki for help.)

* * *

**Hehehe...this was just a little thing I threw together for some comic relief. The Internships and Stain Arc are coming up soon; Chapter Thirteen is going to be rather heavy in various ways. For now, relax and enjoy this. I'll put up Chapter Thirteen in some time.**

**With regards to the COVID-19 outbreak...guys, I cannot stress this enough and you've probably heard these hundreds of times, but practice social distancing, sanitize your hands and don't go outside. Stay safe, healthy and happy.**

**See you soon!**


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapt****er** **Thirteen**

After Toshinori had finished relaying the story, Togata's expression was a curious mixture of shocked, sympathetic and revulsed. "Yagi-sensei, I'm so sorry that happened to you, I had no idea," said the blond earnestly. Sir Nighteye's own face was contorted darkly. Reliving his former superior's past was never a light affair even if he'd heard the story several times before.

Toshinori gave a weak smile. "It is no problem, Young Togata. Now, as to the matter of my Quirk, One for All."

Togata sunk into his chair with a deep sigh. "It's a lot to take in," he admitted. "I mean, that your Quirk isn't anything more than an endless wellspring of strength that only gets deeper and more powerful as you pass it on? And you want to pass it to me? Frankly, Yagi-sensei, I don't know what to think."

Toshinori waited. Nighteye peered at his protégé with just the barest wrinkle of anticipation in his otherwise inscrutable face. Togata looked uncomfortable- no doubt having the expectations of two people he esteemed greatly weigh down upon him wasn't doing him much good.

"Young Togata?" prompted Toshinori gently, when the boy made no sign of coming forth.

Togata squared his shoulders, looking at Toshinori with a sudden bout of determination. "Yagi-sensei. While words cannot comprehend how honoured I am by this offering of yours…I-I can't just…I mean…"

"You don't want it?" asked Toshinori calmly. In sharp contrast, Sir Nighteye had almost leapt out of his chair in shock. "_Mirio_," he reprimanded, sounding scandalized.

Togata shrunk in his seat slightly. "It's just that…well, I've come so far with just this Quirk, right? All the hard work I've put in to make this Quirk mine…it would all be invalidated if I accepted One for All."

"Do not entertain such silly notions, Mirio," commanded Nighteye reproachfully, but Toshinori held up a hand, locking eyes with his former sidekick. "He can make his own decisions, Nighteye," he said calmly. "He is not a child."

The bespectacled man sunk back in his chair, looking angry and hurt.

"It isn't just that." Togata licked his lips slightly. "I just can't help but think, you know? The only reason Yagi-sensei is entertaining the idea of passing his Quirk on to me is because of Sir's recommendation. If I hadn't had any ties to his former sidekick, would he have picked me, over the other two hundred of my batchmates? Or even the second-and-first-years?"

"Do not be asinine, Mirio," said Sir coolly. "All Might has made his decision after keeping note of your achievements throughout your time at U.A. From your scores to your time with me and every other hero you have worked with. Do not sell yourself short this way. With or without my recommendation, you are a prime candidate for One for All; dare I say, the _only_ candidate in U.A worthy of its power."

Togata shook his head. "That's fine!" he exclaimed. "All of that is fine…but what I'm trying to say is, does Yagi-sensei want to pass it on at all? Doesn't that mean he's effectively declaring that his peak as All Might is over? Does Yagi-sensei really want that?"

"My peak as the Symbol of Peace _is_ over," pointed out Toshinori. "It was over the moment my true form was publicised."

"But this is different," argued Togata. "This almost feels like you're giving up. Like you're admitting that this power of yours has to be cultivated in another person. And what's worse is that I don't even know you besides your hero identity."

"Does that mean you are saying you'd be more comfortable receiving All Might's power if you knew him on a personal level?" asked Nighteye.

"I think I'd be more open to the idea, at least." Togata shot Toshinori a nervous smile. "I still want to debut as Lemillion with my own Quirk that I'd toiled for these past few years to make strong. But maybe, if Yagi-sensei gets to know me and still thinks that I'm worthy, then…"

Toshinori smiled. His sidekick had picked a fantastic intern. "Very well, Young Togata," he said, standing up and swelling to his muscular state, ignoring the sharp stab in his gut. It was time for the medal presentation for the first years. "I will keep looking for more successors. But expect to see more of me from now on. Remember, while I am searching for others, you are still One for All's top candidate."

Togata sunk into a bow. "I'm honoured you and Sir believe so."

* * *

As Kyosuke stood upon the podium in second place, he couldn't help but feel a definite sense of lacking.

After he had woken up in the infirmary- _again_\- Recovery Girl had berated him once more before telling him of the concussion he'd sustained by hitting his head against the rubble mid-air and binding his head up to treat the resultant injury. Then, he'd been chivvied along quickly for the medal ceremony, to an underground podium which then rose up to reveal himself in second, Bakugou in first, and Kendou in third. He was still incapable of looking at her without feeling massive waves of guilt and was grateful that Bakugou was between them.

Had he been without the Omnitrix…no, he couldn't let himself be led upon this train of thought now. He shook his head to clear it. All Might was approaching them, with the tray of medals held by Midnight beside him. Already, he was garlanding Kendou with the bronze medal while giving her advice. He couldn't see her but he could hear her thanking All Might with a cheerful lilt to her voice. That relieved him slightly- perhaps she was back to her usual self.

Now, All Might was in front of him, and Kyosuke bent slightly to receive the silver medal. "Congratulations, Young Kirihara," beamed the Number One Hero. "What do you think you could have done better?"

Kyosuke thought for a bit. "I'm not sure," he responded honestly.

All Might grinned at him. "Here's a little tip," he leaned forward slightly. "Start building more confidence in yourself. It is as Young Kirishima said. The Omnitrix is _your_ power, even if it is not a Quirk you were born with."

Kyosuke looked down. And how, he thought slightly belligerently to himself, was he supposed to do that? The Omnitrix wasn't _his_ by any means. Anyone could wield it to the same extent as he could, maybe even better than he could. Knowing that, how could he just- _use_ it like he normally did, as if he hadn't just gotten lucky getting it from Gyakusetsu-sensei?

Bakugou glared at him silently from up above, gold medal around his neck. His palms were looking far better now after a round of Recovery Girl's healing, but they were still wrapped in bandages and ointment considering the extent of the damage he had done to them after blowing up the stadium. Well, that was what you got when you detonated nitroglycerin within a block of ice…which, in retrospect, shouldn't have been possible. Nitroglycerin froze at 13°C. Maybe it was Bakugou's core body temperature that played a part in igniting his sweat, not the external temperature.

All Might turned to the throng of students standing in front of them and smiled. "Well, these are your winners!" he said, gesturing towards them and getting a cheer from the audience in response. "However, I want every student here to know that all of you have the potential to be standing here! As you all witnessed, as every U.A student here pushes one other to succeed in the names of competition and encouragement, the sprouts of today will grow into the seeds of tomorrow!"

"In that spirit, let us have one more cheer! Say it with me- three, two, one-!"

"_**PLUS ULTRA!"**_ roared the crowd.

"**Thanks for the hard work!"** roared All Might, discombobulating everyone there. Silence reigned for a moment or so, then;

"Boo! It was supposed to be Plus Ultra, All Might!" complained the crowd in unison. Some students had also joined in the hooting, much to Kyosuke's amusement.

"W-Well," stammered All Might, "I thought that everyone here had worked hard…"

"It's the school motto, what else were we going to say?" mumbled Bakugou from beside Kyosuke, the latter of whom snorted with laughter once more.

And thus, ended the biggest event of the year. As Kyosuke walked off the podium, making his way back to class, footsteps behind him grew louder and louder, until a hand grasped his arm. Kyosuke turned, only to see Kendou, looking furious and determined with the bronze medal hanging around her neck. "Kirihara-kun. We need to talk."

Kyosuke gulped. "Yes. Yes, of course."

Without waiting for him to say anything else, Kendou started dragging him to a hallway free of any approaching U.A students. Kyosuke thought he saw Aizawa-sensei looking at them expressionlessly, but dismissed it once Kirishima and Ashido joined them.

A few seconds later, Kendou had dumped him on a bench, with Kirishima and Ashido either side of her, looking like a triad of judges eyeing him with stony gazes. "_Explain_," ground out the orange-haired girl, sounding livid.

Kyosuke couldn't meet her gaze. There was too much guilt, too much loathing. But he knew that if he tried to dismiss their concern for him once more; if he left their questions unanswered…the connection that he'd forged with them would rust, if not shatter completely.

But how could he vocalize something like this? All of the insecurity that he hadn't realized was there was now straining against his flesh, gouging numb holes into it- how could he tell them something like that?

"Kirihara," said Kirishima, sounding sad. "When I told you that the Omnitrix was your power during your fight with Bakugou, did you think I was lying so that you could fight back?"

Kyosuke felt a lump grow in his throat. He shook his head and said nothing.

"When you convinced Todoroki to start using his left side, you had told him something similar, right?" asked Kendou, now more gently. "That it was his power? Do you think the same doesn't apply to you?"

Kyosuke nodded silently.

Ashido took over, her voice betraying the fact that she was about to cry. "It's because the Omnitrix isn't a Quirk, right? It isn't something you were born with and you don't think it's something you've made your own yet, especially since that professor you mentioned so long ago was the one who gave it to you."

Again, the white-haired boy nodded silently. Even though they didn't know about the Plumbers- Max having sworn him and the heroes to secrecy- he had told them about Gyakusetsu-sensei before their term at U.A had started. Apparently, they knew Kyosuke well enough to connect the dots themselves.

Kendou reached out and gripped his shoulders. "Are you trying to say that you think you don't deserve the power the Omnitrix gives you?" she asked carefully.

Hit the nail on the head. Kyosuke nodded once more, never taking his eyes off the ground.

"Oh, Kirihara-kun-" said Kendou sympathetically, kneeling down and encasing him gently in an embrace. He leaned into her shoulder, trying not to cry. He could hear Ashido sobbing beside him and it was upsetting, to say the least. "Why would you think that?" she continued.

And it was enough. The dam finally broke, his silence finally cracked-

"All of you, all of you have been training for so long, making your Quirks more powerful for years," he croaked. "I've had the Omnitrix for only eleven months. And- and it makes me sound arrogant as hell but I'm the top freshman, bar Bakugou. And it made me think, you know? It made me think if Gyakusetsu had given the Omnitrix to anyone else, where would I be? Would I have even made it into U.A? Am I even worthy of such a power?"

Kendou stilled, even as her hold on him tightened significantly. "Kirihara-kun, listen to me."

Kyosuke listened.

"Don't you think that goes for all of us, here?" asked his friend. "Don't you think that all of us got our Quirks by the genetic lottery? The three of us, as well as Uraraka's Zero Gravity, Bakugou's Explosion, Todoroki's Half-Cold Half-Hot; we all received those Quirks by luck. And we trained themselves, made ourselves better so that we could stand among the best at U.A. Just like _you_."

"Do you think just anybody could have done that? Do you think any random person with an Omnitrix, or sweat made of nitroglycerin, or the ability to produce ice and fire could have made it into U.A?"

Kyosuke stilled. Because that was _precisely_ how he'd been feeling for so many hours and- albeit, unknowingly- for so many weeks.

"Maybe you trained yourself for less time. But I refuse to believe that you did absolutely nothing to achieve your goals before getting the watch. You learned how to fight. You worked hard. You did your best, just like all of us here. And getting the watch doesn't change anything. You were amazing then and you're amazing now."

Tears slid down Kyosuke's cheeks. He gritted his teeth, the lump growing almost painful.

"Pondering over what would have happened had you not gotten the Omnitrix is meaningless. You have it now and nothing will change that. However, even if you hadn't gotten the Omnitrix, you would have become a hero, because what makes a hero isn't their Quirk. It's so much more than that."

"It's your power, Kirihara-kun. Yours and nobody else's."

It was fortunate that Kyosuke was a quiet crier. His tears soaked Kendou's shoulder and didn't stop coming for quite some time.

"Thank you…_thank you_."

* * *

A few metres away, watching silently from the shadows, Shouta Aizawa nodded in satisfaction and turned to leave, giving the quartet some privacy.

* * *

A day passed.

Kyosuke and his friends went to watch a movie and the white-haired boy paid without complaining, waving away his companions' offers of monetary compensation. While the movie wasn't all that good and his finances took a huge dent from the tickets and food, it was still an enjoyable experience, made even more enjoyable by Ashido mimicking the main character's breakdancing moves- _right in front of the audience_\- Kirishima pigging out on popcorn and Kendou using her Quirk as a serving tray for all of their food.

However, when Kyosuke got home that day and picked up the newspaper for a quiet read along with a nice cup of coffee, his eyes roved over the headline and stopped short.

His coffee fell from his hands, the cup shattering over the floor and shards spilling everywhere. Ignoring the expostulations from his guardian, he folded up the newspaper and rushed to his room, locking the door and opening his laptop.

_**TURBO HERO INGENIUM IN CRITICAL CONDITION AFTER ATTACK BY MASS MURDERER**_

Kyosuke typed feverishly. No wonder Iida had had to leave that day- he as well as the rest of the class knew that Ingenium was Iida's older brother. But for a top-class hero like Ingenium to be injured to this extent? What was the meaning of this? Was his attacker really that dangerous? Why had he never been shown on the news before?

Hero Killer Stain. According to the articles he had just read from bloggers who had actually bothered to write about the man, he cut a menacing figure with a white eye-mask, a blood-red scarf and several blades, including katanas, bowie knives and daggers. No information about his private life or his Quirk but several articles about the heroes he'd attacked.

While his victims were all low-level heroes ranking in the triple digits, the sheer _number_ of them was astounding. Forty heroes, with Ingenium making it forty-one, and thirteen of them had died from their injuries. The Turbo Hero was as of now the highest-profile hero that had been attacked by him and according to several media outlets, the damage was severe.

Kyosuke felt his jaw clench in sympathy. How must Iida feel, knowing his brother might never be a hero again?

With Stain's presence as a high-class villain now cemented, his case was now being passed over to Endeavour, who had the highest number of villain cases solved and was thus the best man for the job. At the thought of the Flame Hero, his fists clenched in unconscious anger.

They were letting him handle the case now that it had more publicity? The hero politics behind the decision angered him further but he pushed it down. Anger would only distract him. He needed to focus.

Stain's base of operations was Hosu City, to the west of Tokyo and accessible via shinkansen. Accessible via shinkansen…Kyosuke paled. What if- what if Iida tried something stupid like- but would he? Surely he wasn't that idiotic- but what if? _What if_? They'd be starting work studies after this- what if he picked an agency in Hosu _just so_-

Lurching towards his phone, he picked it up and dialled a certain number.

If Iida ended up acting like Kyosuke feared he would…then he would have to stop it, no matter what.

Aizawa answered on the third ring. "You'd better have a good reason for interrupting my nap time, Kirihara-"

"Aizawa-sensei." Kyosuke's voice was thick, breathless. "Please don't let Iida intern in an agency in Hosu."

There was silence at the other end of the line. "Exactly what do you mean, Kirihara?" asked the Pro Hero, voice carefully controlled.

"Ingenium was attacked by Stain when he was patrolling in Hosu, right?" asked Kyosuke, talking fast. "Stain's base of operations is in that area! And if Iida tries to go there during his work-study week, to try and exact revenge-!"

"Do you think Iida capable of doing such a thing?" asked Aizawa. "I find it hard to believe that he would go to Hosu simply because of his own motivations."

"Aizawa-sensei, the man Iida looks up to- his _brother_\- was nearly murdered. I know what's it's like to want to take revenge for something like that!" Kyosuke was almost shouting now. "It'll eat away at him from the inside- he won't be able to think of anything else! When- when my parents died, I wanted to do the same to the drunk driver who killed them. Only I didn't, because I got my head straight in time."

Aizawa was silent, prompting Kyosuke to continue.

"_Please_, Aizawa-sensei." Kyosuke took a deep breath. "I'd like to trust Iida on this but I can't just leave this to chance- I can't just stand by and do nothing. Please, remove every agency in Hosu that might want him to intern with them."

"…all right." Aizawa sighed. "I'll go along with you this once. Besides, I was thinking of doing the same thing; really, you've only spurred me to act sooner, Problem Child."

Kyosuke ignored the nickname. "Thank you so much, Aizawa-sensei."

"Don't thank me, kid." The white-haired boy could almost hear the sardonic grin on the man's face. "Good job looking out for your classmate. Leave the rest to your teacher."

_Click._

Kyosuke removed the phone from his ear and sighed. Hopefully, Iida got his head straight in time so that the move he'd made would be unnecessary…but he couldn't leave that to chance. He wouldn't risk something like that and let his classmate potentially be consumed by revenge like Kyosuke himself had been. He knew what it was like. And he wouldn't let Iida turn himself into a monster for the sake of a warped desire.

Now, it was four in the evening and he was bored- nothing a little working out couldn't fix, he reflected as he began to stretch.

* * *

In a darkened bar in Kamino Ward, the three villains making up the core of the fledgeling League of Villains stood. Tomura Shigaraki, Kurogiri and Vulkanus. Before them stood the Hero Killer Stain, sporting a murderous expression on his face and carrying all manner of bladed weaponry.

"What is your business with me, Shigaraki?" snarled the Hero Killer, clutching the katana strapped to his back.

Shigaraki stepped forward. He was wearing a black jumpsuit, over which was the cast keeping his ribs in place. The dismembered hand he referred to as Father was still over his face, acting as a mask, though his other hands were not on his person.

"We need a carry, after the U.S.J incident," the pale man spoke carelessly. Vulkanus winced inwardly; he already knew what the meeting was going to devolve into. "We'd like you to join us so that we may get one."

Stain leered at him. His face was nought but skin stretched over a skull and had Vulkanus not possessed a gruesome visage himself, he would have been quite frightened by it. "You bastards raided U.A, huh…and now you want me in your little gang."

"That's right," Shigaraki confirmed lazily. "O great Hero Killer."

"And what do you hope to accomplish by adding me to your ranks?" asked Stain quietly.

Shigaraki grinned. "We want to kill All Might. I hate him and I want him to die along with the society he's built in his image. Also, I want this little fucker's head." He flicked a photo of a boy with flame-like white hair and grey eyes; the second-place finisher of the first-year Sports Festival. "He broke my fucking ribs and I want him _dead_ for that. You can put those blades to good use chopping him up."

Stain snarled. "I see…it was foolish of me to be interested." He hunched forward, even more, a predatory glint in his eyes. "You are nought but a man-child with a hollow conviction. Scum of the kind that I hate the most."

Shigaraki looked at him. "What was that?" he asked in a bored sort of tone.

"A brat who wants to flaunt his strength, a childish temper-tantrum that brings forth nothing useful; that's the kind of person you are now." Stain unsheathed his sword. "What is the use of mindless violence, of bloodlust without a creed to back it up? You're nothing more than the trash of society that must be culled!"

Vulkanus eyed the man's katana. Battle worn and chipped, it had clearly seen much action. Kurogiri asked in a worried tone, "Sensei, is this really okay?"

"It's fine, it's fine!" came a voice from the TV, sounding more amused than anything. "This person is one that shall help Tomura grow. What is the point of telling him the answers? A true teacher lets his student figure out the answers for himself, so his growth may be stimulated. To gain success, he must first think over his failings and come to his own conclusions."

Kurogiri and Vulkanus only watched as Stain lunged at Shigaraki, katana poised to take his life.

* * *

The next morning, Kyosuke awoke to a grey, rainy day. It was five in the morning and the sight of the dark cloud fringing the sky did not help to improve his mood, which- as always after waking up- was less than cheerful.

As he had exercised the previous evening, he restricted himself to light stretches, before barricading himself in the bathroom for fifteen minutes and emerging fully dressed in school uniform, his fingers deftly doing up his tie around his neck.

His guardian had already left to do…whatever he did that constituted as work. Kyosuke honestly wasn't sure; he'd lost interest after the man's tenth explanation. Something about being an undersecretary to some low-grade firm that didn't yield enough money to fund Kyosuke's education; hence, some governmental help had been necessary. As long as he wasn't doing anything illegal, Kyosuke was comfortable with it.

He set about making his bento and eating some fruits and yoghurt as breakfast. Stirring up three eggs in a bowl, he mixed in some milk and vegetables before laying it out on a hot pan greased with olive oil to make a basic diner-style omelette. It wasn't anything special but it was good as far nutritional content was concerned. That, along with some rice, made for his mid-morning meal.

Throwing in an apple just in case, Kyosuke slipped on his bag and shoes, collected his key card and an umbrella and headed out. "I'm off," he mumbled to no one, momentarily remembering the time someone would have responded to that with a "Be safe out there," or "See you soon."

Shaking his head to rid himself of such thoughts, he set out on his usual route to U.A after holding his umbrella above him. The rain provided a steady, constant hum in tandem with his steps. He lived about twenty minutes' walk from U.A, and he had taken almost an hour and a half to finish up all that he had set out to do since his waking up. It was six-thirty, and at this rate, he would reach at around seven; well before the final bell at eight. It was unusual for Kyosuke to be so early but he normally worked out in the morning or slept until six. Considering he had not done either of those today, he had a lot of time on his hands.

Minutes passed. The rain slowly petered out. And Kyosuke reached the campus well on time, just as he'd predicted.

The cloakroom was empty. The absence of any shoes, umbrellas or raincoats told Kyosuke that he was the first one there. He left his umbrella near his locker and wore his indoor shoes, leaving his outdoor ones to dry. He quietly went up the stairs, entered his classroom- which was empty, like he'd predicted- and sat down with bag in hand.

Kyosuke wasn't sure what to do, considering no one was present. Do some homework? He'd finished it all already. Read a book? He hadn't brought any with him. Mess with the Omnitrix? Aizawa-sensei would kill him if he caught Kyosuke using his watch without letting him know first.

The sound of footsteps entering alerted Kyosuke to someone else's presence. Iida bowed to him slightly. "Good morning, Kirihara-kun," he said stoically.

"Good morning, Iida," nodded Kyosuke. "Although it isn't," he continued a little sourly, watching the rain slowly dwindle.

Iida chuckled but Kyosuke could see the deep sorrow in his eyes, the worry lines on his face that hadn't been there two days ago as he took his seat a row away from Kyosuke. "Yes, it would seem so. I must say, Kirihara-kun, I'm glad that I am not the only student to take lateness seriously. To find you here so early is a delight."

Kyosuke laughed. "Iida, has anyone ever told you that you need to loosen up?"

"Mostly Uraraka-kun," answered Iida seriously. "She is a good friend. I regret not answering her-" he cut himself off abruptly and pushed up his glasses.

Kyosuke was no fool. He understood perfectly well why Iida had cut himself off. "She's concerned for you," he said softly. "Just like we all are."

"While it is appreciated, you need not be," said Iida, looking away from him. "It is…distressing to see my brother in a hospital bed but I have been informed that his survival is guaranteed. No one needs to worry."

"Really?" asked Kyosuke, arching an eyebrow. "Then can you promise me something, Iida?"

Iida met his gaze. "What is it, Kirihara-kun?"

Kyosuke looked him in the eyes. Felt his sorrow and hate as if it was something tangible. "Promise me that if an agency from Hosu wants you to intern with them, you will refuse the offer."

Iida's eyes widened, jaw slackened slightly- and Kyosuke knew that he'd pinned the other boy's intentions exactly. He looked away, clenching his jaw. "I cannot promise you that, Kirihara-kun."

"Why?" Kyosuke leaned forward, eyeing him. "Some agency over there interest you?"

"Yes. The Normal Hero, Manual." Iida's hands were trembling. "He...he would provide me with a balanced work environment in an urban landscape. Like I would need to get used to when I inherit the Idaten Agency."

'_Liar,'_ thought Kyosuke to himself, but did not voice it just yet. "I'm sure a third-place medallist would get better offers than that."

"Maybe so. But the circuit I have chosen to focus on is of rescue. There aren't many heroes with speed-type Quirks like mine in rescue, except my brother. An agency like Manual's is the next best option."

His voice was flat and devoid of emotion but Kyosuke could feel the hatred throb from him at the mention of Ingenium. As if he wanted to lay waste to whoever had done this to him.

And he knew then that he could take it no longer. Yes, he had made Aizawa-sensei remove any agencies from Hosu from Iida's intern list but he couldn't just stand by and let him do this to himself.

"Liar." The accusation was hot, thick and angry. Iida stared at him in shock. "_Liar_. You want to go to Hosu because you want to hunt the Hero Killer down for what he did to your brother."

Rage flashed in Iida's eyes. "Do not accuse me of that, Kirihara-kun."

"Then look me in the eye and tell me I'm mistaken," snarled Kyosuke.

Iida got up from his chair abruptly, his stance rigid and furious. "Am I wrong to want such a thing?" he growled. "He took my brother's ability to help people. The thing he got out of bed every morning for. The thing he devoted his life to! How can I just- _stand_ by and do nothing when Stain is still out there, spreading his noxious influence everywhere?"

Kyosuke rose from his chair as well. "Let me tell you something, Iida," he said calmly. "Revenge is a poison. Revenge is for fools and madmen. Satisfying it will do you nothing."

"Oh? And you know this how?" snapped Iida.

Anger permeated Kyosuke's body like a hot fog. "Because I watched my parents die in front of me, killed by a drunk driver," he snarled. This was a slight exaggeration, because he had fallen unconscious at the time, but it did the trick.

Iida's anger fled, replaced by shock. "I-I…" he stammered.

Kyosuke waved a hand, silencing him.

"I'll spare you the details," he said, voice calm once more. "But suffice it to say I was lucky to have been strapped in the backseat. My parents weren't. And do you know what I realized later when I saw my parent's murderer for the first time, released from jail, ready to _kill_ him for what he'd done to them?"

"I saw a man. That's it. Not a monster or a _youkai_ or some sort of devil with horns sprouting from his temples. Just a man like any other. And I knew then that killing him wouldn't bring me any satisfaction. It wouldn't bring my parents back. All it would give me was a time in juvenile prison. A _long_ time, considering murder isn't exactly a small crime. Exacting revenge does nothing useful."

"What I'm trying to say here, Iida-" and here Kyosuke took a deep breath- "is that Stain is just a man too. No matter the twisted creed he follows, or how many heroes he's killed, he's not a monster. He's just a man like you and me. And when he's caught- _when_, not _if_\- he'll be tried in front of a court and sent to prison just like any other criminal. Tartarus, most likely."

Kyosuke sat back down, looking away from Iida and out the window. "Don't exact your revenge, Iida," he said. "It'll only bring you more grief. And besides, killing like that is against the ways of a hero. Think of your brother and how he could have died. But he didn't. Be grateful for that small mercy. I know I would've been."

Iida was silent. Then, after a deep breath, he spoke once more. "I…I'm sorry you had to relive that, Kirihara-kun. But I'm sorry…I just- I just _can't_-"

Kyosuke's heart sank. "Well, I tried," he said sardonically. And Iida's revenge wouldn't come to fruition anyway. Since he'd made Aizawa-sensei remove any Hosu agencies from his intern list.

Right? The hero Iida ended up interning with would prevent him from going to Hosu, right?

Iida wouldn't end up going down that road, _right_?

He was spared from his internal worry when a bunch of students- Kaminari, Uraraka, Kendou, Tokoyami, Asui and Kouda- entered the class. Kaminari seemed to be chatting up Uraraka, who simply looked confused at the flirtation. Tokoyami, Asui and Kouda were talking amongst themselves. Only Kendou made her way towards him, smiling. "Good morning, Kirihara-kun."

"Good morning, Kendou," he said, grinning softly. Since his breakdown in the hallway, things had become…well, they hadn't changed, exactly. It just seemed as if some strain that had been there all along had gone away. Things were now _softer_ and more relaxed between them- including Kirishima and Ashido.

"How was your holiday?" asked Kendou, sitting beside him. Kyosuke snorted. "You should know. You were there for most of it."

"Fair enough," she laughed slightly. "Honestly, the way Ashido was breakdancing that day…who knew she had such moves?"

"Yeah," agreed Kyosuke. "At least we have our dance routine for the Cultural Festival sorted."

Kendou snorted once more. "That'd be a sight to see; breakdancing in a Cultural Festival."

"Adds a new flavour to things, doesn't it?" chuckled Kyosuke. "You come in, expecting tea and carnival games…"

"Only to see this pink girl jackhammering to DJ Pilizhao." The two of them burst into laughter.

"Did someone mention pink girls?" Ashido came up in front of them with a smirk, leaning on Kendou's head with one arm and ruffling Kyosuke's hair with the other. "Morning!"

"Hi, Ashido," Kyosuke squeezed his eyes shut as her fingers ran through the flame-like mess on his scalp. He knew that it would spring back to normal after a few minutes, so he didn't protest.

"We were just discussing your dance moves during the movie," Kendou informed her.

Ashido laughed, removing her hand from Kyosuke's hair. "Yeah, well, when you've been dancing for so long you just kind of go with the urge when it comes, you know?"

"I guess." Kyosuke shrugged slightly.

"Mm-hmm! The reason I was so fit even before coming to U.A was my dancing," Ashido told them. "The two of you should join me sometime! Especially Kirihara. You need to loosen up."

Kyosuke choked on air. "A-Ashido," he coughed slightly, "it would be in everyone's best interest if I was kept away from the stage. I can't dance."

"Silly, that's only because you didn't have _me_ teaching you." Ashido jerked a thumb in her direction. "Give me a few days with you and you'll be setting the stage on fire!"

"Now _that_ is something I'd like to see," smiled Kendou.

The appearance of Kirishima was swift but as Kyosuke had seen him come- along with most if not all of the other students- he wasn't surprised. "Then just let him use Swampfire." He grinned at Kendou and Ashido's groans in tandem.

Kyosuke laughed, holding out his hand for Kirishima to fist-bump. "I knew I could count on you, dude! But seriously, Ashido, if you're fine with teaching a guy with the dynamism of a turtle, I'll hit you up one weekend."

Kendou raised an eyebrow at him. "You don't have the dynamism of a turtle."

"True. But on the dance floor, it's a different story." Kyosuke shuddered, recalling the one time he'd tried to pick up dance in middle school for Orudera's Annual Day. He couldn't sing or act- and as had been proven that day, couldn't dance either. Apparently, his flexibility and ease of movement were less than ideal for dancing unless it was restricted to the most basic steps. It had only soiled his reputation further.

The final bell rang and with it came Aizawa, bandages completely off and sleeping bag in his grip. In a split second, everyone was in their seats, completely silent and still.

The homeroom teacher grunted in satisfaction. "Good. It took you all 0.3 seconds to quiet down. Good morning, class."

"Good morning, Aizawa-sensei," chorused the students, with Tsuyu adding a beat later, "It's good to see that you've healed completely, Aizawa-sensei."

"Yes," agreed Aizawa, rubbing a new scar underneath his eye. "The old lady's doctoring is excessive. But never mind that. Today, we're having a very important Hero Informatics class- a special one at that."

Kyosuke tensed. Hero Informatics was typically one of his better subjects but he'd neglected the newspapers as of late. If Aizawa-sensei quizzed them of recent happenings bar the Stain incident, he'd be totally blank.

"You'll all be coming up with your Hero Names." And collectively, the tension dissolved and the classroom cheered- before Aizawa-sensei quietened them with a single glare.

A Hero Name? Kyosuke leaned back in his chair, thinking quietly. While he'd come up with names for every alien he could turn into, he hadn't given much thought towards the name he wanted for himself. He knew that Kirishima would probably take his name from Crimson Riot's and that Kendou would come up with something related to her fists. Ashido would probably wrangle in acid (duh) and maybe even aliens if she could. What about him?

"But before that, it's time for your Pro Draft Picks." Aizawa brought out a sheaf of papers in one hand and a remote in another. "As I mentioned, the Sports Festival was a way for all of you to show your abilities to the world and build connections with Pro Heroes who might think you ready to join their agencies after two or three years of experience. In short, it's a way for them to show interest in your futures."

"That being said," Aizawa held up the remote to the board and pushed a few buttons. Instantly, a set of bar graphs arose on the board, titled 'Class 1-A Draft Pick Totals'.

Unsurprisingly, Bakugou's name was at the top with a whopping 3,700. Kyosuke's eyes widened at his own name, which had 3,560; just a hundred and forty less than Bakugou. Then came Todoroki and Iida with far less at 1800 and 360 respectively, after whom were Kendou with 354 and Yaoyorozu at 245. Lastly were Uraraka, Kirishima, Hagakure, Tokoyami and Shouji with 100 or so each.

"Sheesh," said Jirou, sounding half-resigned, half-amused. "Couldn't the top two have left any for us?"

"Normally, it's more distributed. But this time, Kirihara and Bakugou stole the glut of attention," said Aizawa calmly.

"Er, sorry," said Kyosuke sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. He honestly hadn't expected so many considering how badly he'd done against Bakugou and his mistakes in the Cavalry Battle but here he was. Jirou only grinned at him, waving a languid hand. "I'm just kidding, don't take it seriously."

"Whoa, we actually got offers!" yelled Uraraka tearfully, shaking Iida's shoulders. "Yes, yes," said the robotic boy in response.

"It is surprising." Tokoyami's voice was quiet. "I did not advance to the third round, yet there are some heroes who have taken an interest in me? While I am surprised- nay, shocked, even- I am honoured as well. I will not waste the opportunities handed to me."

"Congratulations, Todoroki-san," said Yaoyorozu gently to the half-and-half boy, who only grunted in response, shaking his head. "This is only due to my father's influence. I would've earned far less had he not been so well-established."

Ashido slammed a palm on her desk in frustration. "Damn! And I thought I'd done okay, too, even if I hadn't made it to the third round! Stupid adults…" Kyosuke made a mental note to cheer her up later.

"That being said," said Aizawa a little sharply, quelling the students in an instant, "those of you whose names aren't up there still have a chance to work with some Pros. There's a list of forty agencies you lot can pick from and you will have us review your choice first, which must be submitted this weekend."

"It's true insofar that you guys have already seen more action than most in terms of real Pro work but it will still be a worthwhile experience." Unbidden, a flash of Shigaraki's face, covered by its grisly mask, made Kyosuke shiver slightly. "So, I want all of you to take it seriously. This is also where your aliases come in." This was met with roaring approval from the class.

"All of you'd better pick your names seriously, otherwise-"

"-YOU'LL LIVE TO REGRET IT!"

The door burst open, heralding the appearance of the one and only 18+ Hero, Midnight. Swaying her hips suggestively, she entered the classroom, glasses framed on her forehead. "The name you pick right now might be the name you'll be associated with forever! That's happened to a lot of Pros out there, so do take this seriously, kiddos!"

"Yes, that," confirmed Aizawa-sensei lazily, picking up his sleeping bag. "Midnight will be assessing your names from here on out, considering I'm no good at that. The names you pick shall henceforth be seen as a reflection of what you want to become; the kind of hero you want to be in the future. People will look at you and judge your character by the kind of name you pick. Like, for example, All Might."

He pulled out a drawer, revealing several small whiteboards and markers which were quickly passed on to all the class. Some, like Bakugou and Kirishima, started writing instantly. Some, like Kendou and Kouda, didn't. Kyosuke himself was at a loss. What should he call himself?

Maybe something that had to do with his watch…hmm, okay. Watch Boy? Nah, that sounded stupid. Every-Man? Oh Lord, that just made him sound like some sort of sex worker.

Some more things to do with his watch…he was at a loss. Black Triangle? That was plain asinine. Dial? That sounded cool but some instinct was warning Kyosuke not to use that name. Something about…copyright infringement? Kyosuke shook his head in confusion.

Fifteen minutes passed. Then Midnight called out, "Okay, most of you must be done by now. Come up here and present your names, please!"

Kyosuke jerked in surprise? "We…we have to present our names to the class?"

"But of course!" Midnight waved an elegant hand, smirking at him. "If you can't stand in front of your own classmates and teacher and declare your hero name proudly, how are you going to do it when the world has its eyes on you?"

"That's fair," reasoned Kyosuke.

"Would you like to go first?" asked his teacher.

"Oh, I haven't come up with mine yet," demurred the boy.

"Alright then, how about…Aoyama, yes!" declared Midnight, pointing at the blond boy, who merely smirked and carried himself to the front.

His name was weird. 'I Cannot Stop Twinkling,' slightly abridged to 'Can't Stop Twinkling'. Kyosuke raised a deadpan eyebrow. It only went up higher when Ashido presented hers; 'Alien Queen.'

'_I think Ridley Scott would have sued somebody had Midnight allowed that,'_ thought Kyosuke to himself as Ashido slumped back to her chair.

Tsuyu's 'Froppy' was the first well-accepted name. From there, it was a roll of successful admissions. Kirishima's was 'Red Riot,' just as Kyosuke had predicted. Still cool, though. Then came Jirou's 'Earphone Jack' and Shouji's 'Tentacole.'

Sero followed with 'Cellophane,' which was kind of weird considering he produced tape, not cellophane, but Midnight was happy with it. 'Tailman' was next and then followed Kendou's 'Battle Fist,' which was awesome. Ashido rebounded quickly enough with 'Pinky,' which was somewhat unimaginative but fitting.

The list went on and on. Todoroki and Iida each went with their first names. He wasn't surprised.

Only Bakugou's 'King Explosion Murder' was rejected. Kyosuke snorted, before reaching out and tugging at Bakugou's sleeve as he stalked back to his seat.

He turned around. "Whaddya want?" he snarled. Unfazed, Kyosuke smiled slightly. "I was thinking, why don't you go with something less- um- 'murder-y'? Say Salamander or Nitro?"

Bakugou paused. Then, "Salamander sounds fucking amazing," he growled with a dangerous smirk on his face, jogging back to his seat to write it out in all caps; 'The Explosion Hero, Salamander.'

Kirishima reached out to tap his shoulder. "Buddy, while I'm glad you're tryin' to make peace with Baku-bro and all, what about your name?"

"That's just the thing," sighed Kyosuke. "I've no idea what to write."

"Well, hurry up, bro. You're the only one left aside from Bakugou, who's comin' up right now," reminded his friend. Kyosuke cursed inwardly. Most of the class was eyeing him subtly, as was Midnight.

Kyosuke ran a hand through his hair. Something to do with how he could do anything, like with Yaoyorozu's 'Creati'? The Omnitrix gave him a whole host of abilities, so maybe something about how…his eyes widened. Something about how he could switch between them, perhaps?

What had Present Mic described him as, in the Sports Festival? A shapeshifter? Yes, maybe something along those lines…

He tapped the board with his marker, fresh ideas spinning in his head. A person who could do anything. A hero who would adapt to any situation to produce the best possible result. A hero who could save anyone, win any fight and resolve any situation.

All it took was a press of a watch.

He picked up his marker and wrote, before coming up to the front of the class and stating his name.

"Changeling," he pronounced confidently.

Midnight instantly put two thumbs up. "Very good! Clean and catchy! I like it!" Most of the class seemed pleased as well. He could see Kendou nodding, Kirishima grinning and Ashido flashing a thumbs-up in mimicry of Midnight.

Kyosuke smiled. From now, he would be working to make himself embody this name, as he now had something to call himself, something he could proudly declare to the world when the time came. Changeling would stand tall amongst the host of aliens he could turn into, as the hero who could do anything.

He could almost imagine two figures at the back of the class, each of them looking upon him with all the love they had.

* * *

_The previous evening, in an abandoned bar in Kamino Ward_

Vulkanus slumped to the ground, all feeling stolen from his body. No doubt a virtue of the Hero Killer's Quirk. He could only watch as Stain jabbed a dagger through Shigaraki's shoulder, another held at his throat.

"To accomplish one's goals, a creed is necessary," growled Stain, digging the knife in further. "You have nothing but infantile whims and a cowardly streak. It is only natural that you have lost to me."

Shigaraki was visibly wincing underneath his mask. "Hahaha…argh, you're strong…send this guy away, Kurogiri!"

"Don't bother," rasped Vulkanus, before his friend could oblige Shigaraki. "The Hero Killer has immobilized both of us with his Quirk. Neither of us can move."

"That's right," leered Stain. "Your allies cannot help you, which only lets me see you even more clearly. You're nothing but a faker masquerading as a villain, throwing your power this way and that for the sake of your own childish fantasy. The kind of person I hate the most. You will die here, today, by my sword."

"Fuck you," spat Shigaraki, grabbing hold of the knife suddenly. Vulkanus watched as it crumbled to dust. "You talk of creeds and convictions as if you're some sort of big shot but you forget. You need your blades to kill me. I only need a _hand_."

Stain flipped back as Shigaraki lunged at him, agile as a cat despite his injury. "That really hurt. My wounds from the U.S.J haven't healed completely yet, you know? But let me tell you something. I don't need anything as lofty as a conviction. I only want to kill All Might and the society he's built up around himself. That's my goal and I'll accomplish it no matter what."

The Hero Killer watched, considering the half-decayed knife in his palm. Then, he sheathed his katana and relaxed his stance. "Hm, it seems I wasn't completely right about you. I can see something in your eyes. A twisted sort of ambition, ready to take root. Will it grow or will it wither? I'm not sure. At the very least, both of us have something in common in that we want to tear down the society of today."

"Oh, screw off." Shigaraki held a hand to his shoulder. "Didn't you say I'm the type you hate the most?"

"Yes. You're not ready yet." Stain was uncompromising, his words giving no quarter. "But you might be, one day. I think I'll save killing you until after that can be ascertained." He turned to Kurogiri, who had overcome his immobilisation as well, though Vulkanus had not, yet. "I'll ally myself with your little gang. But for now, send me back to Hosu. I have things I need to accomplish there still."

"Very well," acquiesced Kurogiri, opening up a portal and watching Stain walk through it. After he left, Shigaraki let out a scream of rage, taking up a barstool and flinging it as hard as he could at the area Stain had disappeared, even as the stool disintegrated. Kurogiri sighed tolerantly and Vulkanus watched stoically, a sense of mobility returning to his nerves in a single flash. "That psycho- _Hero Killer_, he says, as if a halfway decent hero wouldn't kick his ass in a fight- that- he-"

"Shigaraki, if we add him to our ranks, our offensive strength will swell tremendously," said Kurogiri placatingly. The pale man huffed, walking away from his associate. "Hero Killer…what a joke," he sneered. "He says he's going to reform society but he hasn't had the guts to go after anyone but small potatoes."

'_And you say you're going to kill All Might but run away the instant your prime servant is defeated,'_ thought Vulkanus, wisely not voicing it out loud.

"Shigaraki, the work Stain is doing has actually caused a rise in the heroes' awareness in Hosu," Kurogiri informed him. "More heroes are acting instead of standing by. Crime rates in Hosu have dropped marginally."

"Oh wow," mocked Shigaraki. "Crime rates have dropped? So much for Hero Killer; more like Hero Breeder!"

He lifted a hand to scratch at his neck. "No one stabs me and gets away with it. I'm sending a Nomu after him the instant Animo gets them ready. If he wants to flip this society on its head, I'm gonna do him one better. I'm gonna grind his self-worth and pride into dust! He'll learn that if I wanna kill him, I'll just kill him!"

"That bastard won't live to see the light of day once I'm done with him!"

* * *

Kyosuke reviewed the list in front of him one more time, his eyes narrowing.

Throughout the week, he did nothing but take note of the various agencies that had offered to take him in. Some he dismissed, some he kept note of. His classmates were also equally keen, having obsessed over their choices and whether they would be a good fit for them- much like Kyosuke himself. Ashido had gone as far as to start a conference video chat involving Kendou, Kirishima and himself the evening they'd gotten their offers, saying something about how they should discuss each one of their lists because four heads were better than one.

They'd done Ashido first. Considering she wanted to be a rescue hero, using her acid to melt rubble and so on, they'd focused on the rescue agencies among the forty Aizawa had given them. After reviewing for a while, they'd all agreed on Thirteen as the best choice. Ashido was happy with that, as she liked Thirteen and admired their work.

Then came Kirishima, who had already decided on Fourth Kind. While Kyosuke didn't know much about him, he knew that Fourth Kind was very disciplined and stern, something which Kirishima would probably benefit from.

Kendou's was slightly more complicated. She had initially wanted to intern with Uwabami, wanting to get a feel for the publicity part of being a hero. Kyosuke had disliked the idea, pointing out that Uwabami would likely teach her nothing worthwhile as she worked mostly in photoshoots and commercials, neither of which Kendou was interested in.

"Well, I was thinking then maybe to work with a hero that can help me overcome brute force," said Kendou. "My Quirk isn't very good with handling people that can overwhelm me with raw power, kinda like when I couldn't do anything to stop Rath when he was taking me seriously."

Kyosuke flinched slightly but Kendou held up a hand. "Kirihara-kun, if you apologize again I will never forgive you…but my point is that when I try going all out, my hands become too heavy and I lose speed. When I try and reduce their size, I lose power. Breaking my limits and trying to get accustomed to the added weight to conserve speed isn't going to work for a long time. Someone that can help me toe that line between power and speed…someone who emphasizes control and precision, maybe…"

"Then how about Kamui Woods?" asked Kirishima, pointing at her list, which indeed did show the up-and-coming star's name. Kendou nodded, considering the idea. "Hmm…he does seem like a good option. His use of his Quirk rivals Best Jeanist in terms of fine control."

Then came Kyosuke himself. Considering he had by far the largest number of offers, his took the longest to trawl through. After almost thirty minutes, they narrowed it down to six offers, the highest-ranked being Best Jeanist. While Kyosuke admired the Fibre Hero, he couldn't see how an emphasis on precision would help him like it would Kendou. Then was Edgeshot. Again, Edgeshot's Quirk was precise- though unlike Jeanist's it was precise by nature, not by technique. But he didn't think it would help him either. He wanted someone who could help him train every one of his aliens from the ground-up because he himself wasn't sure where he needed improvement. Training himself- pushing himself to the limits- that would show him his weaknesses, he was sure of it.

"Ooo, then how about the Rabbit Hero, Miruko?" asked Ashido, pointing to the agency in question. Kyosuke pondered the idea. Miruko was certainly the tough-and-tarty type and as she took no sidekicks (it had, therefore, come as a bit of a shock when she had displayed an interest in him) he would be busy enough in the field. Pushing him to his limits was definitely something Miruko could do.

"I'll write her down," promised Kyosuke, doing so. "Next up is the Shield Hero, Crust."

"I don't know much about this guy," said Kendou with a slight frown on her face. "He seems kind of plain, especially compared to heroes like Jeanist and Miruko…"

"Kendou, he's the _Number Six_ _Hero_," said Kirishima, sounding scandalized. "While his Quirk isn't very flashy, he's still awesome."

"I don't know, man," sighed Kyosuke. "He's kind of orthodox and plain, you know. My powers are anything but." He wrote Crust down anyway.

The last two heroes were Ryukyuu and Gang Orca. While Kyosuke had heard of both heroes before, he didn't think they would be able to help him the way Miruko or Crust presumably could. When Kendou pointed out that he could learn endurance and self-control from Orca, who had it down to art from the amount of time he spent on dry land, Kirishima rebutted with the (accurate) statement that it was only because of his Quirk that he needed such endurance. That sort of thing was specific to Orca, not something that could be picked up by anybody. Besides, someone like Bakugou would benefit more from learning self-control than Kyosuke.

The next school day, no one had been able to focus on their classes. Present Mic had yelled at them all at the top of his voice and Midnight, in a similar vein, had cracked her whip during class to try and get them to pay attention but their efforts were for nought. Cementoss and Ectoplasm had been a little more accommodating, teaching slightly less quickly and going over less material so that they could be a little more at ease. Even students like Yaoyorozu and Tokoyami, who seemed highly self-assured, were going over their lists with noticeable strain on their faces.

By the lunch bell, Kyosuke found himself being pulled aside by quite a few students to talk about where he was going for his internship. After his usual non-committal reply of Miruko or Crust (though the former was the far likelier option), the student talking to him would go on about the agencies that had offered them the chance to intern and their respective pros and cons followed by a healthy dollop of indecisiveness. Kendou, being the Class Rep, was also approached in this way by quite a few students. Kyosuke tried his best to hear out whoever was talking to him and advise them as best as he could. However, it was taxing.

"Kaminari, if you wanna learn how to target people more effectively with your Quirk, why not the Bright Hero, Licht? He's Musutafu's newest Pro Hero and has a light-based Quirk that allows him to shoot beams of energy at his target. A Quirk like that probably took ages for him to refine. Why not go there?"

"Yeah, that's what Sero's also been sayin'…okay, why not? Thanks, dude!"

"Tokoyami, if Hawks has invited you, why are you even hesitating? Go for it! Both of you are birds with unique Quirks. Not to mention he never asks anyone to intern with him."

"Yes…only I am not sure whether I shall even learn anything from him. He gives off the air of something who is flighty and unapproachable. Friendly, yet too fast to make any meaningful contact with."

"Yes, well, he's displayed _some_ interest in you, right? If you've caught the attention of the Number Three, it's going to be for _something_ you've shown in the Sports Festival. Although, in the end, it's your call."

"Yaoyorozu, I've already mentioned this to Kendou but I'm pretty sure Uwabami's only popular with the media because of all the photoshoots and commercials she does. If you wanna go in that direction, then go with Uwabami. But if not, hasn't Fat Gum asked you to intern with him? Both of you have Quirks based on lipid content, so even if you don't learn anything new in terms of combat, you'll at least get a better idea about regulating your fats."

"You might be right. Thank you for your input, Kirihara-san."

Iida was quiet, frantically flipping through his list at his lunch table. Kyosuke knew what he was looking for. The name he was looking for. The name he wouldn't find. He could see the bespectacled boy mumbling to himself quietly. "Manual…_Manual_…where is it? Surely he asked me to intern with him? No one else in the Hero Course has his invite…"

Uraraka, who had decided to go with Gunhead, surprisingly (something about how she wanted to be more effective in close-quarters combat instead of relying on her Quirk all the time), looked at him in worry from her seat in front of him. Kyosuke decided to go up to him and spare him the trouble. "Iida," he called, walking up to the boy and abandoning his lunch tray, attracting Uraraka's attention. "Don't waste your time looking for any agency in Hosu. You won't find any."

Iida looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean, Kirihara-kun?"

"I mean that no one here is going to have any offers from Hosu," said Kyosuke quietly, ignoring Uraraka's mouth opening in shock as she realized what was going on. Iida seemed confused for a moment before realization- followed by a seething mass of rage- began to settle on his face. "You _didn't_."

"I did," confirmed Kyosuke coldly.

Iida snarled in anger, lunging at him. However, he was ready. Ducking the boy's clumsy punch, he shot out a hand, catching Iida's arm and holding it in a half-nelson before encircling his shoulder with his other arm. "Listen to me- hey, _listen to me_," hissed Kyosuke, ignoring Iida's seething expression and Uraraka getting up, hands covering her mouth in shock. "If I can't convince you to drop your revenge quest, I will _make_ you. If there is any way I can prevent you from going to Hosu, I will _make it happen_. You will _not_ touch the Hero Killer. Not like this. _Do you understand?_"

"Both of you, stop!" yelled Yaoyorozu, separating the two of them with a wooden staff. "That is _enough_. Iida-san, please sit down. Kirihara-san, come with me!"

Giving Iida one last icy look, Kyosuke followed the black-haired beauty to a secluded corner of the lunchroom. Kendou was not present, having gone to the staff room to submit her internship choice. Kirishima had finished his lunch and Ashido was in the bathroom. He was alone.

"What had that been about?" asked Yaoyorozu, fixing him with a clear onyx gaze.

Kyosuke sighed. "It's a long story. Suffice it to say that Iida's feeling distressed about what's happened to his brother. And about how no one seems to have received any offers from Hosu City."

Yaoyorozu wasn't a genius for nothing. After a moment, her eyes widened in horror. "Surely you're not suggesting-?"

"That is exactly what I'm suggesting," confirmed Kyosuke quietly. "Iida's out on a revenge quest. He's trying to use his internship opportunity to try and hunt Stain down. I predicted it would happen and convinced Aizawa-sensei earlier this week to remove any agencies in Hosu from Iida's offer list. It looks like he's done so for all of us. No doubt they don't want any U.A students in the same city as a serial killer."

"Wait a minute. How do you even know this?" asked Yaoyorozu intently. "It doesn't seem like Iida-san would do such a thing. How did you guess- _correctly_\- that he would try to enter Hosu during his work-study? I would understand if it had been Uraraka-san who'd guessed it. But..."

Kyosuke sighed once more. "Yaoyorozu, please take my- er- parental situation into account when you ask that."

Her jaw dropped in horror once more. Before she could start apologizing, Kyosuke pressed on. "I told Iida that revenge is a poison. That it was for fools and madmen. I tried to convince him to drop his idea of paying Stain back because I of all people know that revenge leads to nothing. Only he didn't listen to me. That fool shall get himself killed or worse if U.A posts him in Hosu. That's why I interfered."

"I see," said Yaoyorozu softly. Silence reigned for a few moments before she lightly rubbed her eyes and put her staff away. "I won't report this to Aizawa-sensei. However, I do agree that Iida-san is behaving in an irrational manner. I shall speak with him regarding the situation."

He dipped his head slightly. "Thank you, Vice Class Rep."

And so, the day passed. After submitting his internship choice, which was met by approval from All Might and Aizawa, Kyosuke researched the Rabbit Hero as much as he could. As she was a Top Ten Hero, there was much information about her, where her agency was located, where her greatest victories had occurred…it went on and on.

'_I say agency,' _thought Kyosuke to himself,_ 'but Miruko doesn't _have_ an agency, not really. She's a one-man army with no sidekicks or workers to aid her. She probably has a secretary and doctor under her employ at the very least, though.'_

She stayed in an unassuming brick villa located in Fukuoka City, almost five hours away from Musutafu by shinkansen and costing almost 22,000 yen. Kyosuke almost fainted at the sight; no way would he be able to pay that much for a train ride. Thank God U.A was covering transport costs, he thought. Also interesting was the fact that Hawks also stayed in Fukuoka. Maybe he would run into Tokoyami during their respective internships. That would be pretty cool.

(He also found the occasional…er…_off-brand_ material; rule 34 was enforcing itself with impunity. Not unexpected but thoroughly unwelcome. Blushing as he caught sight of a link whose name left little to the imagination, he closed the tab and called it a night. Did he look like he wanted to read porn about the highest-ranked female hero? No. He didn't.)

After the weekend, where he spent a highly enjoyable time at the arcade with his friends and got wrecked by Kirishima at Street Fighter, Monday arrived.

Kyosuke shouldered his bag, walking toward the shinkansen with his friends in front of him.

It was time to learn, he reflected as he climbed into the train waving goodbye to his friends, what it truly meant to be a Hero.

And he was ready.

* * *

**X**

* * *

The copyright infringement line comes from the Marvel/Ben 10 SI crossover fanfic **Dial**, by DesertChocolate. It's awesome and really long, so it's something you can do while staying at home all day. As you've probably guessed, the hero's codename is Dial. Hence, copyright infringement.

**"Revenge is a poison. Revenge is for fools and madmen."**\- Patrick Jane, _The Mentalist_. It's an excellent show available on Amazon Prime and something else you can watch during the quarantine if you have the membership. Hey, maybe not going out will help you save enough to start paying for Amazon Prime!

Speaking of, please quarantine yourselves and stay safe. Keep yourself inside your homes so you can live to go outside and do what you want another day.

On a slightly happier note, it's April the second, Kirihara's birthday today! Please wish him if you can.

Read and review; I love receiving appreciation and feedback so I may go about improving the story.

See you soon!


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